Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Elekta and HealthCare Global Enterprises Limited (HCG) announce the launch of a collaborative educational facility in Mumbai. The training center will focus on providing radiation oncologists, radiotherapy technologists and medical physicists with the necessary skills and training on the latest treatment techniques and technological advancements in radiation therapy (RT).
Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar, Executive Chairman, HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd says: “Our collaboration with Elekta will support an increase in qualified radiotherapy professionals in India. Through these training programs we hope to move the needle from basic radiotherapy techniques to high precision radiotherapy treatment strategies such as image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), adaptive RT, stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Equipping medical professionals through effective learning solutions can significantly improve efficiency and patient outcomes.”
Radiation therapy is a pillar of cancer treatment, with around 50-60 percent of patients requiring radiation therapy, though only 30 percent receive it globally. Elekta is committed to collaborating with healthcare providers such as HCG to help close the cancer care gap. This type of peer-to-peer learning outside of Elekta Training Centers is offered to drive the uptake of high precision radiotherapy treatments.
“The innovative program to train and upskill clinicians is designed to improve and standardize the clinical treatment protocols and bridge the gap between academia and industry,” says Manikandan Bala, Elekta’s Managing Director for India. “We have been vocal about addressing the challenges in our cancer care infrastructure. Creating access to quality cancer care is our top priority, however, to successfully do that we need to train professionals to deliver the treatment. It’s this symbiotic relationship that will help us succeed. We are hopeful that in the near future there will be both a sufficient number of treatment devices and qualified staff to operate them in India.”
Gustaf Salford, President & CEO Elekta, adds: “Our collaboration with HCG is a ray of hope for millions of Indian cancer patients. Through this training program we aim to bridge the skill gap in radiotherapy and, in turn, improve access to and the quality of treatment for people with cancer in India. Such cooperation should be developed at regional and local levels, not only at a global level. Establishing innovative centers of excellence such as this can provide much of the necessary training to countries nearby as well.”
BWI
