Bridging the gap in cancer care

As we examine the availability of cancer diagnosis and care facilities in the country, we still need to do a lot more. Most of our cancer-related hospitals and healthcare facilities are limited and concentrated in Tier-I cities. This, combined with a general lack of cancer awareness and the high cost of cancer treatment, has a much higher death to cancer incidence ratio than in high-income countries.

Bridging the gap in cancer care is more important than ever, even during one of the most serious pandemics. While limited availability of healthcare facilities was already a problem for cancer patients, the current pandemic has added to their woes.

Cancer prevalence in India

The National Cancer Registry Program has mentioned in its report that in India 94.1 men per one lakh men and 103.6 women per one lakh women will be affected by cancer in some form or the other. While there are over 100 types of cancer, not all of them are fatal. However, the mortality rate in India is high. While more than 1.3 million new patients are diagnosed with cancer, more than 850,000 patients die of the disease annually in India. Cancer contributes to 8% of adult deaths, the mortality ratio for cancer in India is much higher than in high-income countries (HICs). While it is claimed that excessive reporting of non-malignant cancers in HIC is one cause, several underlining factors contribute to the increased mortality. Poor resource allocation, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, poor access to cancer care near patients’ homes and limited cancer treatment capacity along with poor resource allocation, lack of cancer awareness among the people are the reasons behind such high mortality rates.

Another reason behind the high mortality rate is the fear of treatment. It has been found that many patients are averse to cancer-related oncological treatment procedures. While many fear the pain of chemotherapy, others object to surgery. Patients should fear the disease and not the cure; They need to be made aware of its effects and how they can be reduced with proper treatment.

Cancer is curable if detected early

While the adage- ‘It’s never too late’ may be true in other circumstances, it falls flat in the case of cancer prevention. Early detection is a sign of reducing mortality. Epidemiological studies suggest that 70 to 90% of all cancers are related to environmental factors. Lifestyle factors are the most important. Cancer prevention is possible with the identification and correction of these causative factors. A study to commemorate 50 years of cancer control programs in India found that tobacco-associated cancer sites account for 35 to 50% of all cancers in men and about 17% of cancer sites. cancer in women, The study also suggested that these cancers can be managed through primary prevention, and that it is possible to control them to a greater extent.

Revitalizing the healthcare system in India

There is a need to revamp the healthcare system in the country with special focus on cancer care. It is important to improve the healthcare infrastructure at every level and establish regional cancer centers to address the rising mortality rate. The decision of the Central Government to increase and establish many centers of AIIMS is commendable. While nine such centers are operational, 16 more institutes are under construction, and they will be operational soon. Establishment of such advanced medical institutions in far flung corners of the country is a step towards bridging the gap in care.

The need of the hour is to work on the Public-Private Partnership model and encourage private and non-profit organizations to take initiatives in this direction. One such example is our non-profit care center, Balco Medical Center (BMC) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, which runs in partnership with the government and caters to over 1,01,008 outpatients, 60% of whom are beneficiaries. Below poverty treatment is being done under various government schemes. It provides affordable cancer care to all using high technology such as telehealth, personalized medicine, digitization and artificial intelligence and is one of a kind in Central India. We, at Vedanta, aspire to a truly cancer-free society, and look forward to collaborative partnerships with healthcare providers to help take us there. As more and more private companies take up the responsibility and set up cancer care centers in their regions, India will be able to bridge the cancer care gap.

Anil Agarwal, Founder and Chairman, Vedanta Resources Limited