Apollo Hospital to train healthcare professionals in proton care therapy

The Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals group proposes to set up four or five more super specialty facilities in the country

Apollo Proton Care Centre (APCC) and Ion Beam Applications (IBA), Belgium, have signed an agreement to train healthcare professionals in the therapy. Apollo Hospital specialists said the MoU formalised the training that is being provided already.

Hospital founder chairman Prathap C. Reddy said the group proposed to start four or five super speciality hospitals across the country and each of them would house a proton care centre.

“It took three years for ISRO to give us clearance (to install proton therapy centre) but IBA gave us the technology available with them on that day and not three-year-old technology,” Dr. Reddy said. Each machine could cost €20 million to €40 million depending on the kind of the centre proposed, IBA officials said.

Rakesh Jalali, medical director and head of Radiation Oncology at APCC, said the collaboration would enable them provide “access to clinicians, physicists and therapists from across Asia and the world to avail themselves of training and education on contemporary proton beam therapy practice.”

According to him, APCC will be the international hub for new users besides providing an opportunity for existing users from around 150 centres to update their knowledge of the evolving technology. The centre is offering an annual practicum in May which is attended by around 750 persons from across the world.

Oliver Legrain, chief executiver officer of the IBA that developed the technology and commercialised it, said: “We envision a lot of proton therapy centres in Asia. It is necessary to upgrade one’s knowledge in order to use the equipment safely and to its full potential.”

According to him, there is a need for 2,500 therapy centres in the world, which has just 150. “Typically, when there is a new centre, you have to train 30 people to be able to start operation. Knowledge has not spread enough about proton therapy,” he added.