Tata Memorial Centre aims to double share in cancer treatment by 2030

Apart from the efforts to increase its own capabilities and the targets it is chasing on that, Badwe said that TMC runs the 'National Cancer Grid', which has 300 hospitals serving 80% of the patients

Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) is aiming to double its share of cancer patients it serves per year to 20 per cent of the total number of such patients in the country by 2030 from the present 10 per cent, its director Rajendra Badwe said on Friday.

Currently, the centre provides treatment to 10 per cent of the country's total cancer patients per year.

The premier cancer treatment and research institute, backed by Tata Group and the government, is expanding facilities and educational capabilities to train the manpower, which will be required to achieve the target, Badwe told reporters here.

"Presently, India has about 13 lakh cancer patients every year, 10 per cent of those are treated at Tata Hospital. We would like that to be doubled to somewhere about 20 per cent of the total national problem," the director said, adding that the aim to double is being sought to be achieved by the end of the decade.

He said the hospital feels there will be a huge increase in the total number of patients getting affected by cancer per year as urbanisation goes up in the country and listed out data, which showed that for one lakh population in cities, 100 get afflicted with cancer, while the same comes down to 60 in semi-urban areas.

TMC is building or expanding centres in Varanasi, Mullanpur in Punjab, Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, Visakhapatnam and also in Navi Mumbai on the outskirts of the financial capital, Badwe said, adding a slew of backers, including the central government, Tata Trusts and ICICI Bank are helping it in the expansion of facilities.

He said TMC is using a hub and spoke model on the infrastructure creation front, where there are hubs costing Rs 600 crore in places like Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Navi Mumbai and Mullanpur to treat both common and uncommon cancers under a single facility, and there will be smaller centres or spokes in the vicinity, which will refer patients to the hubs.

Apart from the efforts to increase its own capabilities and the targets it is chasing on that, Badwe said that TMC runs the 'National Cancer Grid', which has 300 hospitals serving 80 per cent of the patients.