New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) In a significant step to enhance and modernise cancer care services, including early and precise tumour detection, the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in the national capital has commissioned a ring gantry-based Linear Accelerator.​

The state-of-the-art, ring-gantry-based Linear Accelerator machine was commissioned in the hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology on Monday, in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh.​

The advanced technology is set to strengthen cancer care services at the Army Hospital (R&R) and improve access to advanced radiotherapy for serving personnel, veterans, and their dependents. It is also expected to enhance in-house treatment capacity to handle the hospital’s significant patient load.​

According to an official statement, this Linear Accelerator is capable of delivering modern radiotherapy techniques, including Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy, Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy, Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy, and Stereotactic Radiosurgery.​

“It enables precise delivery of radiation to tumour sites while minimising exposure to surrounding normal tissues, thereby supporting improved treatment outcomes and patient care,” the statement further said.​

Also, the previous equipment used for screening and scanning tumours and other cancerous growths in patients has been decommissioned.​

The procurement of the Linear Accelerator within the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) marks a substantial upgrade from the previous equipment and will soon be implemented across various medical hospitals run by the Armed Forces.​

“The induction marks a step towards modernisation of oncology services within AFMS. Other oncology centres under AFMS are also being upgraded in a phased manner,” said an official.​

The occasion, i.e., commissioning of ring-gantry-based Linear Accelerator machine at the R&R hospital, saw the presence of DG AFMS Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Commandant, Army Hospital (R&R), Lieutenant General Avinash Das, and other senior officials.​

–IANS​

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