The Government of Assam on 31 October 2026 signed an agreement with IBA Particle Therapy India Pvt Ltd to build a ₹600 crore proton beam therapy centre at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it will be India’s first proton therapy facility run by a state government, with completion targeted within three years.

The contract follows the state cabinet’s approval of the project earlier this year, reported when Assam approved a major cancer care upgrade within its ₹50,000 crore development push. With the vendor now signed, the Assam proton therapy centre moves from a budget line to procurement and construction.

What the Assam proton therapy agreement covers

The centre will run IBA’s ProteusONE, a compact single-room proton therapy system made by Belgium-based Ion Beam Applications SA, the parent of the Indian signatory. According to the state government, the deal covers the machine, the building and staff training.

• Cost: about ₹600 crore, with ₹315 crore from a World Bank loan and ₹285 crore from the state budget.
• Programme: the World Bank-supported Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation (ASSIST), run by the Assam Health Infrastructure Development and Management Society.
• Training: IBA will train doctors, medical physicists and technicians, with some staff sent to proton centres abroad. The state has also asked Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, to help onboard clinical teams early.
• Timeline: the Chief Minister said the facility should be ready within three years.

Why proton beam therapy matters for public cancer care

Proton therapy delivers radiation that stops at the tumour instead of passing through the body, which limits damage to nearby healthy tissue. Clinicians use it for selected cancers of the brain, spinal cord, eye, head and neck, and it is especially valued in children, whose developing organs are more sensitive to radiation.

In India the treatment has so far been available only at a handful of centres, including Tata Memorial in Mumbai and the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre in Chennai. Sarma said private treatment can cost up to ₹50 lakh, and that the government intends to keep charges at GMCH as low as possible.

How it fits Assam’s cancer care network

The facility will sit on top of the three-tier network built by the Assam Cancer Care Foundation, a partnership between the state and Tata Trusts. Of 17 planned cancer hospitals, 12 are operational, including the State Cancer Institute in Guwahati, according to the Chief Minister. The network has recorded about 2.6 lakh outpatient consultations, more than 82,500 inpatient admissions, over 1.88 lakh chemotherapy cycles and radiation treatment for around 20,000 patients.

The project also extends the state’s earlier work under ASSIST, covered in our report on Assam’s ASSIST programme, and joins a wider push by state governments to bring high-end technology into public hospitals, such as the ₹35 crore robotic surgery system planned for GMCH Nagpur. Assam expects the Guwahati centre to serve patients from across the Northeast and from neighbouring Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar.

Key takeaways

• Assam signed a ₹600 crore contract with IBA Particle Therapy India on 31 October 2026 for a proton therapy centre at GMCH, Guwahati.
• Funding is split between a ₹315 crore World Bank loan and ₹285 crore from the state, under the ASSIST project.
• It will be India’s first state-run proton therapy centre, due within three years, with staff training by IBA and Tata Memorial Centre.

FAQ

Where will Assam’s proton therapy centre be located?

At Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati, under the state Health Department’s ASSIST project.

When will the proton therapy centre start treating patients?

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the facility is expected to be completed within three years of the 31 October 2026 agreement.

Who is supplying the proton therapy system?

IBA Particle Therapy India Pvt Ltd, a unit of Belgium’s Ion Beam Applications SA, will supply its ProteusONE system and train clinical staff.

Featured image: Officials exchange the signed proton beam therapy contract at the signing ceremony in Guwahati on 31 October 2026. Photo: Government of Assam (handout, via The Sentinel).

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