Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre is a non-profit oncology hospital and research institute located in Meherpur, near Silchar, in the Cachar district of Assam, India. The institution was established in 1996 by the Cachar Cancer Hospital Society, a public charitable society formed in 1992. It provides cancer diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and palliative care, with a focus on patients from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds in Northeast India.
Background
In the early 1990s, rising cancer cases in southern Assam highlighted the absence of a regional oncology facility. At that time, patients were often required to travel to Guwahati or other distant cities for treatment. To address this gap, the Cachar Cancer Hospital Society was established in 1992. In 1996, the Government of Assam allocated land in Meherpur for the construction of a cancer hospital, and the foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia.The hospital initially began as a 20-bed facility offering limited diagnostic and treatment services. In 2007, Dr. Ravi Kannan, a surgical oncologist from Chennai, was appointed director. The hospital had 450 employees and 146 inpatient beds by 2024.
Facilities
CCHRC provides surgical oncology, medical oncology, paediatric oncology, and radiation oncology services. It is equipped with diagnostic imaging, pathology and microbiology laboratories, and a molecular oncology unit. The hospital also has a blood bank, dental surgery unit for oral cancer, and a pharmacy that provides free or subsidised medicines, partly through the National Cancer Grid.In 2024, the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, inaugurated a positron emission tomography–computed tomography scanner at the hospital, the first such facility in the Barak Valley region.