Saturday, July 15 2006 10:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai has won the prestigious 2006 Global Award for an 'Outstanding Cancer Organisation' for demonstrated excellence in cancer control within and beyond India's borders.

Instituted by the International Union for Cancer Control (UICC), the award was received by Ketayun A. Dinshaw, director of the Tata Memorial Centre, at the UICC annual meeting in Washington last week.

India could well be considered as a role model in cancer control for many other countries, said Dinshaw, describing the award as a recognition of the outstanding commitment, team-work and dedication of all staff members of the centre to remove the shadow of cancer from many lives for over six and half decades.

The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust initially set up the Tata Memorial Hospital in February 1941. In 1952, the Indian Cancer Research Centre was established as a pioneer research institute for basic research.

The Tata Memorial Hospital and Cancer Research Institute merged as the two arms of the Tata Memorial Centre in 1966, as a classic example of private philanthropy augmented by government support. The centre has functioned as an organisation of the Department of Atomic Energy since 1962.