Increases capacity of the unit as a part of ‘transforming cancer care in India’ objective
The Tata Trusts have been a pioneer in the field of cancer care since the 1940s, engaged in education and research in oncology to improve treatment modalities and provide access to affordable methods of treatment. Over time, the Trusts have widened their focus to transform cancer care in India by awareness and early detection, enhanced access, uniform high quality and affordable care.
As a part of the Tata Trusts vision to transform cancer care in India, the Trusts partnered with Tata Steel in 2018 to develop Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital (MTMH), Jamshedpur, into a comprehensive cancer care centre. The endeavour has also been supported by the Suri Seva Foundation and Tata AutoComp Systems.
Established by the Jamshedpur branch of Indian Cancer Society, funded by Miserior and Tata, and supported by the ladies committee, devoted social workers of CanCare and Prem Niketan, MTMH has been serving cancer patients from Jharkhand and neighbouring states since inception in 1975. At present, the hospital caters to 25,000 OPD patients annually and 9,500 admission patients, of which 3,000 are new.
The project to develop MTMH into a comprehensive cancer care centre entailed:
- Increasing bed capacity of the hospital by 80 percent from 72 to 130.
- Installing a PET-CT machine at the new centre — which is the first in the state of Jharkhand. This will allow early detection of cancer and recurrence.
- Replacement of the brachytherapy equipment. The equipment is used to deliver high doses of radiation therapy required in treatment of certain types of cancers.
- Enhancing the ability of the centre to treat patients with the most advanced cancer with precise radiation therapy through a state-of-the-art TrueBeam radiotherapy machine.
To further support patients in their journey, the capacity-building project also involved the complete remodelling of the 72-bed old building and creation of a connecting skywalk to the new extension building.
The new day care ward will serve the long-standing patient need of short hospital stay. In addition, Pritpal Palliative Care Centre, developed by the Trusts and funded by Suri Seva Foundation, will enable the facility to provide specialised medical care to terminally ill and end-stage cancer patients. With the increased capacity, the hospital will be able to take around two times the existing patient load.
The newly built facility was inaugurated by Ratan Tata on March 13, 2019. The facility will become operational from April 2019.
