Treating 2 L Cancer Patients Yearly, Yoga & Low-Cost Shot Trials: Tata Memorial Centre's Expansion Plans
The Tata Memorial Centre will soon treat close to two lakh new patients with cancer annually, and recent trials by the premier institution show that doing yoga and two low-cost injections save lives in breast cancer patients.
The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) is India’s oldest and largest cancer centre, treating about 1.25 lakh new patients with cancer every year at its eight branches across the country -– Mumbai alone sees 80,000 new patients and over 6.5 lakh follow-ups annually.
In a note to the parliamentary committee, which was reviewed by News18, the central government stated, “It is expected that the TMC will soon treat close to two lakh new patients with cancer annually, which will account for approximately 12% to 15% of all patients diagnosed with cancer in the country every year.”
The note also stated that the TMC conducted three trials, which can be “implemented immediately” in India. “The first on yoga in breast cancer tested, adding yoga to standard surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy showed improvement in quality of life, compliance to treatment and a 15% reduction in deaths due to breast cancer,” the government note said.
The yoga protocol included gentle and restorative postures with regular periods of relaxation and pranayama, implemented in classes by qualified and experienced instructors.
“The other two trials tried two low-cost interventions in the form of injections that saved 29% and 26% lives in breast cancer. Both these injections are available across India as part of Arogyasri as well as state insurance schemes. The cost of these injections is Rs 25 and Rs 2,000 only,” the note states.
NEED FOR MORE CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE
Responding to the national need for more centres of excellence for cancer treatment like Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) and Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) in Mumbai, the TMC has embarked on a major expansion plan that will quadruple its patient care capabilities as well as broaden its geographic presence. The TMC has now expanded from Mumbai to six other hospitals located in Varanasi, Guwahati, Sangrur, Visakhapatnam, Chandigarh and Muzaffarpur.
Starting from 840 beds in 2017, the TMC has grown to 2,200 beds in 2022 and will further increase its capacity to 2,800 beds by the end of 2023, and 3,400 beds by the end of 2026. At present, it treats about 1.25 lakh new cancer patients annually, which is approximately 10 percent of all of India’s cancer burden. The ACTREC, which had 100 beds till 2020, is now a 500-bed facility and will expand to 900 by the end of 2023.
The hub and spoke model of cancer care has been successfully implemented by the TMC in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. In addition, a proposal is being considered for a cancer hospital in Odisha – the NISER (National Institute of Science Education and Research) campus of the department of atomic energy – which is at a fairly advanced stage of discussion with joint funding from the government department and Tata Trusts, the note mentioned.
The TMC is also planning an integrated centre for treatment, research and education in cancer at Maharashtra’s Khopoli, which will house a medicinal plant facility and include infrastructure as well as resources for cancer research involving traditional Indian systems of medicine.
With the expansion envisioned with the creation of these new hospitals, it is expected that the TMC will soon treat close to 2,00,000 new cancer patients annually, the note stated.
