A large population in India lives far from metro cities whereas cancer centers are established mainly in the metro cities. Since cancer affects elderly population more and it makes the access even tougher for patients with other comorbid conditions to reach out to the oncologist care in timely manner. The current shortage scenario of 2400 oncologist managing 15 lac new cancer cases in India with vast geography needs advance solutions such as remote monitoring and online second opinions to diagnose better and intervene faster.
Cancer is a deadly disease that prevails around the world. India is one of such countries wherein the vast demography of people is not spared from the clutches of this disease. Currently, it has been speculated that there are around 2.25 million people in India who live with the disease and seek for medical attention and care, while battling hard against it to survive as well.
All came under a baffling halt for Mrs. Abha Roy, when she was diagnosed with blood cancer as well. However, this did not seem to deter her from fighting for her life and she made it certain to do everything that she could, in order to survive. However, it was not easy as she had previously ascertained.
Early diagnosis of the early cancer stages can help patients take the right step towards avoiding the spread of the deadly disease from benign to malignant stages. However, the biggest challenge that most health professionals face is the late stage diagnosis of the disease. Mrs. Roy’s family tried to seek out all the help that they could avail, as soon as she was diagnosed with cancer. However, time was running out and each moment was crucial in order to take the right step towards recovery. When all hopes were lost, the last ray of hope shined on Mrs. Abha Roy when her son Prantosh found on the internet about cancer helpline no. 18001032868 which is an initiative by Cancer Rounds.
Mrs. Abha Roy belongs to a middle class family and hails from a remotely located village in Tripura, near Agartala. Given the nature of healthcare infrastructure and its availability, Mrs. Roy was in dire need of professional help and that too, in a very short period of time. Unfortunately, her condition had deteriorated to a level that made it even more difficult for her to relocate herself to the nearest healthcare facility.
Cancer Rounds has been interacting with patients just like Mrs. Abha Roy, for quite sometime now. One of the foremost challenges in the step towards recovery is lifting up the spirits of patients and convincing them that all hope is still not gone! And that’s how Cancer Rounds lifted up the spirits of a 53 year old Mrs. Roy, by conducting exclusive counselling sessions with a well renowned psychiatrist.
The next set of advice provided was to take a few blood tests as advised by the expert team headed by Dr Rahul Bhargava. These blood tests were taken at her home in her own village as suggested by Dr Rahul Bhargava, who is an eminent and established blood cancer care specialist or hematologist and is also the Director of pediatric and adult Bone Marrow Transplants. The foremost step that Dr. Bhargava took was to review Mrs. Roy’s case and constituted a team that was to be deployed personally for her aid.
A team was formed in just about 2 hours since Mrs. Roy contacted Cancer Rounds for help. The team was briefed about the condition of Mrs. Roy, her ailment as well the next set of directives as instructed by Dr. Bhargava. The core team included Dr. Bhargava himself, a local physician, a pathology team from Agartala and case manager from Cancer Rounds to help coordination between every one. The team along with the patient’s son was available right at the reach of Mrs. Abha and was ready for her help in a very short period of notice.
Mrs. Roy was immediately shifted to a local hospital in order to stabilize her case since her Haemoglobin content had fallen to fatal levels. However, in about 12 days since the point of contact, Mrs. Roy showed signs of great improvement in her condition – she could now walk and thus, could get admitted at a better facility for further treatment. A biopsy investigation suggested some medication for Mrs. Roy that could prolong her life for many years. The patient is now put under a remote monitoring program which allows the patient to report the symptoms and track changes during the course of treatment. Patients who seek help early when the disease is developing can benefit by getting the right test done specially in cases of aplastic anemia and lymphoma said Dr. Rahul Bhargava.
The story only confirms the belief on how comprehensive cancer care can save lives and help patients lead a quality life as well. In India, cancer care is getting evolved and Cancer Rounds has taken the lead by building a virtual comprehensive cancer care hospital by solving the gaps in cancer care delivery. However, a major challenge that lies in this process is the easy availability of the same infrastructure and healthcare personnel around the entire stretch of this vast country. This is where Cancer Rounds comes to the picture to provide comprehensive care.
CancerRounds.com is the one stop guide for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and seek professional help. Cancer Rounds is a virtual hospital wherein patients can seek comprehensive cancer care. It aims to provide an easy access to patients who seek information and further assistance, while approaching experts on an online virtual platform. Blood test and a video/phone call with an oncologist is what a patient can expect within a few hours. Patients on chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also connect with a cancer nutritionist who can guide the patient on proper nutritional requirements during the treatment.
“Remote monitoring is a well established concept in America and Europe and when we thought about building a similar concept from the grass-root levels for cancer, we realised the deep impact it can create in over all outcomes and quality of life of cancer patients,” said Sumit Wadhwa, Founder of CancerRounds.com.