On 21 February 2018, I attended a press conference with a difference where India’s first cashless hospital was launched by a self-funded NGO to fight cancer. It was a unique event where Bangalore-based entrepreneurs Vijay Tata and Amrita Tata celebrated their daughter’s birthday by pledging 50 acres of land worth Rs.100 Crores and an additional Rs.100 Crores towards the development of “SAACI” Saanchi Advanced Cancer Care Institute, India’s first cashless cancer care hospital for the underprivileged. Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi was present to launch the initiative. The fight against cancer The C word—Cancer—always brings fear. It is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue. There are more than 200 types of cancer. Nobody is immune to it. When detected early, treatment can be effective, but expensive. But if detected later, the costs can kill the patient faster than the disease. So, there are actually two dreaded “C”s when it comes to cancer: cancer itself and the costs. Every individual has the basic right to health and hygiene, which are necessities rather than luxuries. However, because of poverty and inequality, healthcare and hygiene have become the privilege of a few. Thanks to India’s massive population, it […]
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