AIIMS Rajkot gets advanced radiotherapy: free cancer treatment for Ayushman card holders
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda dedicated an advanced radiotherapy facility at AIIMS Rajkot on 2 November 2026, built at a cost of about Rs 39 crore. It is expected to benefit about 1.54 crore people in the Saurashtra region, and eligible Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries will get free cancer treatment there.
What this means for you
This facility is mainly for cancer patients in Rajkot and nearby districts of Gujarat. If you or a family member is an eligible beneficiary under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, cancer treatment at AIIMS Rajkot can be free; other patients will be treated at concessional rates. Patients in the region will no longer have to travel to distant cities like Ahmedabad and Mumbai for specialised care. People in UP, Bihar, MP and Delhi are not directly affected.
Key facts
- The facility was built under the Pradhan Mantri Health Security Yojana at a cost of about Rs 39 crore.
- About 1.54 crore people are expected to benefit.
- Initially, about 500 to 700 patients are expected to be treated every year.
- AIIMS Rajkot's radiation oncology department has been working since 29 May 2026.
- Treatment is free for eligible Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries and at concessional rates for others.
What has happened
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda dedicated an advanced radiotherapy facility at AIIMS Rajkot on 2 November 2026. The facility has been set up under the Pradhan Mantri Health Security Yojana at a cost of about Rs 39 crore.
Radiotherapy is a way of treating cancer in which radiation is used on the affected part of the body.
Who will benefit
According to the notice, the facility is expected to benefit about 1.54 crore people in the Saurashtra region. This includes the districts of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Morbi, Surendranagar, Gir Somnath, Devbhumi Dwarka and Botad.
The minister said people in this region earlier had to travel to distant cities such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai for specialised treatment. The facility will now be available in Rajkot itself.
What will treatment cost
At AIIMS Rajkot, eligible beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana will get free cancer treatment. Patients not covered by the scheme will be treated at concessional rates so that the financial burden on them is lower.
What machines and techniques are in place
The facility has a high energy linear accelerator (linac), a wide bore CT simulator and a high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy unit. The linac will allow radiation treatment using modern techniques such as IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, SRS, SRT and SBRT, which deliver radiation to the affected area with millimetre-level precision.
The wide bore CT simulator will help prepare a three-dimensional plan for treatment. HDR brachytherapy will allow targeted internal radiotherapy for gynaecological cancers, head and neck cancers, sarcoma and other tumours.
Since when is the department running
AIIMS Rajkot’s radiation oncology department has been working since 29 May 2026 and provides radiotherapy and chemotherapy services. It works as part of an integrated cancer care setup supported by chemotherapy and facilities for head and neck, orthopaedic, gynaecological and general surgery.
Initially, about 500 to 700 patients are expected to be treated there every year. These will include patients with head and neck, gynaecological, breast, bone and soft tissue cancers, among others.
What else was said
The minister referred to screening drives being run through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. According to the notice, since 2018 about 37.7 crore people have been screened for oral cancer, and about 2.5 lakh patients were detected. About 17.7 crore women were screened for breast cancer, with about 95,000 cases found, and about 9.8 crore women were screened for cervical cancer, with about one lakh patients detected.
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava referred to the National Health Policy 2017, more than 1.8 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and steps to make cancer medicines cheaper.
Questions and answers
Is cancer treatment free at AIIMS Rajkot?
Yes, for eligible beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, cancer treatment at AIIMS Rajkot will be free. Other patients will be treated at concessional rates.
Which districts will benefit from the new radiotherapy facility?
The facility covers the Saurashtra region, including Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Morbi, Surendranagar, Gir Somnath, Devbhumi Dwarka and Botad. About 1.54 crore people in these districts are in its coverage area.
What machines are installed in the facility?
It has a high energy linear accelerator (linac), a wide bore CT simulator and a high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy unit. These allow radiation treatment with millimetre-level precision.
Since when has AIIMS Rajkot's radiation oncology department been running?
The department has been working since 29 May 2026 and provides radiotherapy and chemotherapy services. Initially, about 500 to 700 patients are expected to be treated there every year.
Will patients from UP, Bihar or Delhi benefit?
The facility is at AIIMS Rajkot in Gujarat, and the notice describes its coverage as the Saurashtra and Kutch region. It says nothing separately about patients from UP, Bihar, MP or Delhi.
Source: PIB, "केंद्रीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री जे.पी. नड्डा ने एम्स राजकोट में उन्नत रेडियोथेरेपी सुविधा का उद्घाटन किया, प्रत्येक नागरिक को बेहतर कैंसर उपचार उपलब्ध कराने की प्रतिबद्धता दोहराई", 2 November 2026. Read the original notice
This routine notice was drafted with AI from an official source and published automatically; an editor reviews it after publishing. Report an error