Page 26 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2021-22

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Fostering hope by delivering cancer care closer to homes
The Tata Trusts have been pioneers in the field of cancer care in
India, with the establishment of the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH)
in Mumbai in 1941. In the subsequent years, and especially more
recently, the Trusts have stepped up e orts to launch initiatives
that encompass the entire range of cancer care from preventive extreme side e ects of her radiation treatment, and the
to palliative. These include e orts to deliver a ordable and
standardised care closer to the patients’ homes.
This proved to be a boon for Usha Rajeshwar Devgade, a
resident of Mul near Chandrapur, Maharashtra. After feeling
unwell for an extended period, she decided to undergo a
screening exam in Chandrapur, where she was diagnosed
with ovarian cancer and was referred to the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) at Jamtha in Nagpur district.
In 2018, the Trusts had helped NCI to upgrade hospital
infrastructure and equipment, as part of its country-wide
interventions to support the formation of a National
Cancer Grid—a pan-India network of major cancer
centres, research institutes, patient groups, and
charitable institutions that work towards
establishing uniform standards of patient care for
the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
3 GOOD HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING
PROJECT ALIGNS WITH SDG
19
HOPE
After undergoing nine cycles of chemotherapy at NCI, Usha also
underwent surgery in November 2020. Unfortunately, she
relapsed nine months later, following which she had to undergo
further chemotherapy. Her deteriorating health given the
mounting travel and treatment costs incurred during this
time, forced her family to halt treatment.
In February 2021, a medical o cer at the Mul
rural hospital advised Usha to visit the Trusts’
health kiosk set up at the Government Hospital
in Chandrapur, which was nearer to her home.
The cancer care team admitted her to the
day-care center set up in hospital, where she
was attended to by the resident oncologist.
Upon examination, Usha was advised to undergo
further treatment with the assurance that this
would involve much less travel and associated
costs, which has reassured her family and
given her a renewed hope for recovery.