How can we help patients who can't afford expensive treatment of cancer?

[rami]

[Ganesh]

that is the million dollar question. Let's see what replies and suggestions we get from people. I think they will come.

[sumeet_shah Administrator]

Rami, a very apt question. I face this daily.

No patient in India should go untreated, just for the lack of resources.

1. There are quite a few cancer aid organizations which help such patients. Like CPAA (Cancer Paitents Aid Association), ICS, etc. etc.

2. The Social Worker Department at the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai has a wonderful network. They have a list of trusts, which help out patients. If a patient takes treatment at the Tata Memorial Centre, and is poor, and preferably having appropriate ration card, then their file is converted to 'NC' (No Charge) category, where the entire treatment is virtually free, including hospital stay, investigations and surgery costs. The patient only has to buy medicines, which, too, are available at massively subsidized rates.

3. There is the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme, now running in many districts in Maharashtra (I do not know about other states), where, those, below a certain income per year, are given out health cards, and are entitled to free treatment for cancer, cardiac and neurological problems. Many hospitals have been earmarked for the scheme. All that the patient has to do is to produce the card, and complete treatment is given. There are issues in this, though.

4. Problem comes for those people, who belong to lower middle class, and are not entitled for above, because they might be earning just about enough (more than the above categories, but not enough savings yet). Family runs smoothly, but the moment someone falls ill, the health care burden becomes massive. This category of people cannot avail the benefits above. This category will include a majority of people. There are many trusts which help them out. There are doctors who do services for very nominal charges. There are many places, where one can buy good quality drugs at a very cheap rate. Here, it is the doctor (especially in private practice), who has to go out of the way and help the patient, guide them properly, not fleece them.

For some patients, my team has managed complete treatments of breast cancer patients within Rs. 1 lakhs, which includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation all three, but only with the help of Tata Memorial Centre.

[Priya10 in reply to sumeet_shah]

That is a very relevant question and I would like to add on a few things to what Dr. Sumeet mentioned.

The problem comes for people belonging to middle class who dont have benefits and who cant afford the treatment. My personal experience in helping people has been by word of mouth. Ofcourse, there are charities and trusts but considering the vast population that needs help, these trusts fall short in number. We dont have a proper system that can cater to everyone who cant afford the treatment and I feel we all should gear up thinking how we can do it.

I have been successful in helping few patients get subsidized treatment by talking to people who want to donate. Many people or industrialists do donate money off and on to organisations and much of the time they dont know where to give the money they wish to donate. I feel talking to people around you is a beginning along with identifying patients whom you know fall in the category of not being able to afford treatment.

Also, if you are keen on getting deeper into this, you can begin a small trust with a group of people that is registered. Often, big companies donate money to trusts that can give them a receipt. It is a win win situation for both parties because the former gets a tax reduction and the latter gets funds. This is a major step because this would involve opening a trust. But you can begin helping by simply connecting those who are in need of help with those who are in a position to help as well as looking for places where they can help. I have been successful in doing this. And I wish you the very best!

[Priya10 in reply to Priya10]

Also, identifying doctors who are willing to help you in this endeavor could be useful. This has two advantages.

1. You have a team of like minded doctors who wish to help patients who cant afford treatment and can work together along with their contacts and colleagues to do this.

2. you will be in a better position to decide the condition of the patient and how you can help him/her.

Goodluck!

[rgci13]

True the burden is on middle class who have just enough income to run the family comfortably, but if any person in the family is sick with a disease like cancer then the family is in great trouble to treat the person for such an expensive treatment and run the family and on top of that if the attack returns then the family is totally shattered. I have seen a family being total shattered because the bread earner was attacked with the disease and the family had to sell off their home for treatment but with a negative result finally. Why can cancer die of cancer?

[sumeet_shah Administrator in reply to rgci13]

Very true, rgci13. This, actually, is the story of a majority of population suffering from cancer.

[rgci13]

Kill cancer with cancer!

[Sherna]

I think we need to lobby harder to get the cost of cancer drugs down or to get government to subsidise costs. Anyone know of any pressure groups doing this?

[kontak TeamBCI]

This can be done thro NGO's who can reach Ministry level