The Tata Trusts, among India’s oldest philanthropic institutions, have become key players in national cancer care. Their network the largest spans 20 cancer hospitals across states including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, with more centres under construction.
As India marks World Cancer Day, Tata Trusts CEO Siddharth Sharma warns that the country’s cancer burden is accelerating faster than its ability to detect and treat it, with late‑stage diagnoses in more than 70 percent of cases and incidence projected to rise nearly 24 percent by 2030 to 1.75 million new cases annually.
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The Tata Trusts, among India’s oldest philanthropic institutions, have become key players in national cancer care. Their network, the largest, spans 20 cancer hospitals across states including Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, with more centres under construction.
“True progress in cancer care will only come when systems are reimagined and designed around the needs of people, and care is delivered closer to where they live. Quality cancer care should not be a privilege of the few, but the right of all Indians,” Sharma told Moneycontrol.
India recorded 1.41 million new cancer cases in 2022, translating to roughly 100 diagnoses per 100,000 people. Nearly 70% of cancers in India are linked to preventable risk factors, including tobacco use, infections and environmental exposures.
India’s deadliest gap: Late detection
The largest structural failure, Sharma said, is late detection, responsible for poor survival rates and high treatment costs. “Late‑stage detection is one of the most pressing issues in India and is observed in over 70 percent of cases,” he said.
He points to limited screening coverage, especially in rural regions, where awareness of symptoms is still low and stigma around breast and cervical cancers delays care‑seeking.
“Silence and misconceptions create barriers… despite cervical cancer killing nearly 75,000 Indian women every year, even though 95 percent of cases are treatable if detected early,” Sharma said.
To shift this, Tata Trusts has scaled public health campaigns like Gaanth Pe Dhyan and Khud Se Jeet, aimed at encouraging women to seek screenings without fear or shame. The Trusts also conducted over 26,500 cervical cancer screenings last year under these programmes.
Tata Trusts’ push to expand India’s cancer infrastructure
The Tata Trusts, a key player in national cancer care is expanding its network to bring cancer care closer to underserved populations, particularly in the Northeast. Assam, for instance, records a cancer incidence rate of 90.2 per 100,000 people, far higher than the national average of 81.2.
Through the Assam Cancer Care Foundation and Tata Cancer Care Foundation, the Trusts are building a network of 17 cancer centres in Assam by FY27, a push Sharma describes as essential to closing India’s treatment‑access gap.
In FY 2024–25 alone, the Trusts - reached 2,60,000 beneficiaries through public health awareness campaigns, conducted nearly 9 lakh NCD screenings and provided OPD consultations for 1.43 lakh people. Treated more than 62,000 new cancer patients in their hospitals. The Trusts also run a state‑of‑the‑art Centre for Oncopathology, expanding access to molecular and histopathology services critical for precision diagnosis.
Drug affordability, insurance and bulk procurement crucial
Sharma welcomed recent exemptions and concessional duties on cancer drugs but said affordability remains a central barrier for Indian families, many of whom abandon treatment due to out‑of‑pocket costs.
“A comprehensive approach comprising affordable treatment options, bulk procurement, early detection and awareness campaigns is vital to create a sustainable cancer‑care ecosystem,” he said.
Bulk procurement through the National Cancer Grid (NCG) — a network of over 360 centres treating 750,000 new patients annually — has emerged as one of the Trusts’ strongest levers to standardise and lower costs.
The Trusts’ hospitals are also empaneled under state and central health‑insurance schemes, expanding financial protection for low‑income patients. “Expanding access to insurance coverage remains essential to easing patient burden,” Sharma noted.
Systemic gaps
Sharma highlights shortages of oncologists, radiologists and pathologists, especially outside major cities, and lack of screening equipment for breast, cervical and oral cancers in many districts. Palliative care and pain‑management services also remain highly underdeveloped. The emotional and psychological toll of cancer is another overlooked dimension, Sharma said. “The disease brings overwhelming emotional impact — uncertainty, helplessness and anxiety — yet psychosocial support remains insufficient.”
A call for system redesign
Sharma said India must adopt a holistic, prevention‑first model, centred on early detection, strong primary healthcare and last‑mile treatment capacity. “Addressing India’s cancer crisis requires strengthening prevention, enhancing detection and expanding affordable treatment. Increased government investment and public‑private partnerships are crucial,” he said.
The article was first published on 4 February 2026 on Moneycontrol.
