The campaign aims to bring attention to the challenges faced by cancer patients and their caregivers in smaller towns and villages, who often feel uncertain about their future when diagnosed with cancer. The “Kaise Ka Cancer” campaign focuses on four key areas that can help alleviate India’s growing cancer burden: awareness, accessibility, quality care, and affordability.
The first film in the campaign takes viewers on an emotional journey into the lives of cancer patients and showcases how the uncertainties of personal life, finances, and future weigh more on their minds than cancer itself. The film also highlights how Tata Trusts Cancer Care Programme’s four pillars provide relief. The second film highlights the mental anguish of family members and caregivers during this difficult time and the hope provided by hospitals supported by Tata Trusts. The third film underscores the importance of not ignoring symptoms such as difficulty in swallowing, lumps, mouth ulcers, and unusual vaginal discharge and the need for prompt testing and diagnosis, which is particularly important in India where delayed detection exacerbates the already high disease burden.
Dr Sanjiv Chopra, Chief Executive, Cancer Care Programme, Tata Trusts said, “Tata Trusts has always been committed to driving cancer care interventions and further strengthened its support with the launch of a comprehensive Cancer Care Programme in 2017. We have been working relentlessly to execute a distributed model of cancer care across the country, with the aim to provide access to screening, uniform high-quality care, affordable treatment, and palliative care. By bringing to the fore the journeys of cancer patients and their families, the ‘Kaise Ka Cancer’ campaign is helping us drive awareness on available resources and underscore the importance of timely screenings – all of which are key focus areas for us. Committed to our vision of providing holistic care across the country, we will continue to shape our programmes in a way that helps ease the journey of patients and their families as they navigate tough times.
Dr Sanjiv Chopra
India’s Cancer Epidemic and Tata Trusts’ “Kaise Ka Cancer” Campaign
India currently reports 1.5 million cases of cancer, with the real number estimated to be 1.5 to 3 times higher. Sadly, in India, 70% of cancer deaths result from late-detection, compared to the global average of 30% due to a lack of awareness and low participation in screening programs. Tata Trusts, a leading advocate for reducing India’s cancer burden since 1941, launches the “Kaise Ka Cancer” campaign with the goal of improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their families.
The “Kaise” film series, launching over the next two weeks, will be accompanied by cancer screening drives in multiple cities. The goal of the campaign is to reverse the current early-to-late detection ratio of 30:70 to 70:30 over the next few years through increased awareness and screening efforts.
