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ICICI Bank, in collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), has announced commencement of the construction of a new building at the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (HBCHRC) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
With a commitment of over Rs 550 crore, the Bank is funding the construction of a state-of-the-art facility spanning nearly 3.9 lakh square feet, equipped with cutting-edge medical technology.
Once operational, the eight-storied new building, ICICI Foundation Block for Child and Blood Cancer, will serve 3,000 patients annually. Currently, HBCHRC, Visakhapatnam has a capacity of handling 6,200 patients annually.
Designed as one of the largest specialised cancer facilities in Eastern India, the new building will house over 215 beds. It is expected to be completed by 2027, subject to necessary approvals. ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth, the CSR arm of ICICI Bank, will oversee its implementation.
Dr Girish Chinnaswamy, Professor & Head, Paediatric Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai said, “Paediatric & Hematolymphoid Cancers require specialised care in terms of diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, support services including blood centre, nutrition, rehabilitation etc. and expertise. At HBCHRC Visakhapatnam currently, we have been registering approximately 200 new paediatric cancer and 350-400 hematolymphoid cancer patients every year in the past 3 years. With the new block added we will be able to augment the existing services substantially including expansion of bone marrow transplant programme and also initiate immunotherapy. This will also provide ample opportunities to undertake research related to patients in this region.”
