Shomali Johri & Manju Mulchandani, Co-Founders, Life Wins Foundation

We hear the word cancer and feel that nothing can be done to prevent it. But many cancers are preventable. As per experts, adopting a healthier lifestyle like eating a balanced diet, regular physical activity and most importantly avoiding use of tobacco in any form can have a major impact on reducing the chance of cancer in our lifetime. However cancer is a disease that is constantly on the rise in the modern world. It is the second most common disease after cardiovascular disorders causing maximum deaths in the world. In India too, the scenario of cancer is worrisome and has seen a remarkable increase in its incidence in the last few years.As per GLOBOCAN more than 1 million new cases of cancer are reported in India every year. As per doctors, cancer patients are more susceptible to coronavirus now as they are in an immunosuppressive state because of the malignancy and anticancer treatment. Hence detection of coronavirus infection early is more important as cancer patients are at much higher risk for unfavorable outcomes.

Unfortunately, the burden of cancer is not the sole point of concern in our country. Despite Indian oncology attaining various breakthroughs and advancements over the past years, few basic concerns have remained the greatest challenges in cancer care. Identification of each of these barriers is a must to tackle and overcome them in order to establish comprehensive care towards cancer. Here are a few key challenges that require immediate attention of the stakeholders.

Low awareness: This is a major area of concern as low awareness in India leads to late detection and treatment of cancer that claims a majority of lives. As per experts, the leading cancers in India like breast, cervical and oral cancers can be completely cured if detected early. However, lack of awareness leads to delayed identification of the symptoms and most patients are not adequately informed about the symptoms, prevention and diagnosis of cancer in the country. Hence one of the first steps for better cancer care is to bring more awareness about cancer and help them overcome the stigma around it.

Lack of access & infrastructure: Nearly 70 percent of the population in India resides in rural areas where there is a severe shortage of cancer care facilities and healthcare professionals. Despite the leaping cancer burden, India suffers from inadequate infrastructure that can support the required pace of detection, diagnosis and treatment of the chronic issue. The skewed geographical location of the tertiary cancer center is creating a dip in the percentage of people receiving proper treatment owing to a severe disparity in the resource allocation. For diagnosis, medicines and ongoing treatments, many patients have to travel a few hundred kms. This becomes a major deterrent. Travelling back and forth or staying in a new urban city takes a toll on the physical and mental health of the patient.

Dearth of oncologists: We have very few oncologists compared to what is needed to treat and manage the cancer burden. Hence, the dearth of oncologists makes it extremely difficult to offer adequate delivery of treatment in rural areas as most of the oncologists are concentrated in tier 1 cities. Even with the increasing cases, the country is facing severe shortage of care – givers with approximately 2000 oncologists for a population of 1.3 Billion.

High diagnosis and treatment cost: Cancer treatment in India is very expensive and remains out of the bracket of affordability for middle – and low-income groups. Starting from detection to treating procedures (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy) to follow-up procedures to palliative care, cancer treatment leads to whopping cost, thereby claiming lives among the economically weaker section of the population compared to the wealthy. The economic burden comes hand-in-hand for families fighting cancer as both, the diagnostics, as well as treatment costs, are extremely expensive.

Call to action

Over the last few years, cancer treatment has seen tremendous progress. While there has been an eventual growth in investment in cancer care centres across the country in the urban areas, tier 2, tier 3 cities and the remote villages continue to remain deprived of proper investment in cancer care. India needs a greater number of cancer treatment centres compared to what it has now. Hence one of the ways to address the lack of access to cancer care is by creating treatment facilities in rural locations. While a lot of initiatives by the government have provided affordability, it needs to be supported by reforms that encourage medical professionals and infrastructure in tier 2 and 3 cities. A partnership model between large hospitals and smaller hospitals in rural areas can help in building cancer care infrastructure.

Technology can play a key role in creating better access to cancer care. With internet penetration in rural areas, it’s now easier than ever before to have a virtual consultation with doctors. Companies offering second opinions in vernacular languages have made rural communities a bit closer to the solution stage, and they help the patients to understand and guide through the treatment journey. Notwithstanding the medical breakthroughs, cancer care also requires a holistic approach. Many patients even after recovery, continue to face several psycho-social problems that impact their normal lives. Education of the community at large about cancer risks should be expanded, along with cancer screening and other preventive strategies that need greater emphasis for early detection.

Across the world, there are many funds and grants being established to tackle the impact of Covid-19. In a circular recently, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) announced that funds spent on measures to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak will be counted towards the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity of companies. Hence this has impacted the funding of many companies towards cancer care. Many patients suffering from curable cancers are helpless due to lack of funds.The coronavirus has triggered a funding crisis for NGOs and the economic downturn also means future aid budgets and donations are likely to decline. We should devise a strategy to ensure funding for NGOs working towards cancer care by giving them a fair chance to fight cancer.

The old proverb “prevention is better than cure” applies to cancer. No matter where we are in our journey, it’s never too late and there’s always hope for new beginnings. No matter what the statistics say, there is always a way.

Shomali Johri & Manju Mulchandani, Co-Founders, Life Wins Foundation

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about a moment that has no precedence in our lifetime. The world is grappling with the worst public health crisis possibly seen in more than a century. The financial impact of these actions have been far reaching, especially on the families of daily wage earners, labourers, taxi and autorickshaw drivers, and others who depend on their everyday earnings for survival. In order to cushion the impact of the crisis on these sections, and to ensure their access to essentials, various not-for-profit organisations are sending out appeals for funds to help those in dire need. Simultaneously, heavy rains have been causing floods and landslides in many parts of the country leading to large scale disruption and further adding to the woes of people. Hence we are dealing with a situation that is fast-evolving, and merits our immediate attention and action.

This is the most pressing time when we need values like charitable acts, volunteering, individual ethics such as integrity and honesty and doing good deeds without expecting returns. In short, it is time to act selflessly – by individuals, trusts, NGO’s, organisations, entrepreneurs, businessmen, corporate, social workers and activists – to create an equitable world by collective action. In war time, as is the case now, CSR needs to acquire a new sense of urgency and responsibility.

People from all walks of life, particularly the frontline workers, are doing their best to save people’s lives and help them return to normalcy. Together, we are engaging in an impressive act of community service with kindness and hope and that’s pretty powerful. There are many other ways in which we can help and make a difference to the lives of people and to society at large. Here are a few:

Support NGOs

You may have many ideas about how to help your fellow human beings, but may not know how to go about it. That’s when you need to check what others are doing – join them and form a team or join an organization and work as a team. Charitable organisations and NGOS are coming together and working in tandem to reach a larger crowd and make a bigger impact with their services. While individual action is good, collective action is more powerful and delivers results. Many NGOs are stepping up their vital work at this time like cancer care for the underprivileged section of the society, helping frontline warriors etc and supporting them is a great way to help those who are most in need. We should ensure that the fund is allocated where it’s needed most to have the greatest impact on the relief effort as the outbreak continues to evolve.

Support the vulnerable

Charity begins at home. As millions of us in India take shelter at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, take a moment to think of those who do not have that privilege. It is important to reach out to the most vulnerable sections of our society with an emergency basic income & support for patients with severe health issues. The challenge here is to design a fool-proof and leak-proof method of helping those who needs immediate attention. Even the smallest bit of charity can go a long way to help the needy.

Commitment is the need of the hour

No matter what you may be busy with, taking out a few hours for collective action for the sake of the community and larger social good is a sign of your commitment to society. While we need to be helpful at all times, acting during a crisis will be cherished. Identify the elderly and physically challenged people in your area and volunteer to assist them with daily needs. If your work allows you to spread the cheer, use it well to lift the spirits of others around. Be a bit selfless and you will see the rewards of that in future – a healthy and safe society. With technology at hand and WhatsApp being our strong ally, we can volunteer effectively yet virtually! In fact, the present quarantine has made us more efficient and innovative.

In conclusion, it can be said that it is time to come forward and make a difference. This pandemic has made us realize that we all are connected and this entire world is a family. By banding together to help one another, we can strengthen ourselves and the people around us. Together, through the right channel, we can safeguard our nation and help fight this global pandemic. While many individual efforts are laudable, we need to give serious thought as to how we can collectively add value to the overall societal effort to combat the virus impact. Although being socially responsible can cost time, money and resources, yet it gives an extreme sense of satisfaction when one sees impact on society by such noble acts.