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Project Sahayata: Fighting Cancer Stars spotted! What's this?

February 04, 2004 14:22 IST
Spotted: Mallika Sherawat in Cannes
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Doctor k abh aayenge?

Subah se k uch k haaya-
piya nahin. Chak k ar aa
raha hai [When will the
doctor come? I haven't
eaten anything since
morning. I'm feeling
giddy]."
The frail woman in the
faded lavender salwar
k ameez has been waiting
for over an hour. She hails
from Dibrugarh, Assam. Of
the many things she has
on her mind, she is most
concerned about her son's
matriculation examinations.
In a reed-thin voice, she explains, "My son studies only when I am there. His
final examinations are in March. I have to return home today. I came so that the
doctor could see me."
She is suffering from cancer. What
she is really looking for, more than
treatment, is peace of mind.
Which she will find only when she
meets Dr Palepu Jagannath,
chairman, department of surgical
oncology, Lilavati Hospital,
Mumbai [ Images ].

When he breezes into his

consultation room, words pour out
in a torrent about her son's
exams. About how she has left
him alone. How she has to rush
back. How she is in pain. How she is happy she has come to see the doctor.

There is so much hope in her words.

"All it really takes," explains Dr Jagannath, "is awareness. Most cancers are

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curable if detected early. But most people don't heed the subtle warning signs
our bodies send us because they don't know. Believe me, in most cases, the
body does send warning signals."

The problem, he says, is Indiacancer.org

lack of awareness. The cure
is early detection. That is
why his aim is to spread
awareness about the
warning signs of the
disease.
Dr Jagannath's passion for
providing information was
sparked when he lost his
mother to ovarian cancer.
"She was a gynaecologist.
Yet, at that time, she didn't
have the information that is
available now so that you
can take steps to prevent
it."
Fifteen years later, Dr
Jagannath has wised up to
the changing times and the
power of technology. What
better way to spread
information, he asks, than
over the Internet? "My
daughter does all her school
projects thanks to the Net. It
is a phenomenal source of
information." The result was
his portal, indiacancer.org
(see box).
Recently, he launched
another cherished dream,
Project Sahayata, on the
indiacancer.org web site.
This project aims at linking
donors and cancer patients
(see box below).
Dr Jagannath launched the vertical portal,
indiacancer.org in June 2000. Powered
generously' by Intelvision and inaugurated by
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N
Chandrababu Naidu [ Images ], the non-profit
organisation went on to include the Crusade
Against Cancer Foundation, which was
inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan [ Images ]
in July 2001.
The web site contains information about
cancer, how you can detect it, myths about
cancer, treatment and care if you have the
disease, cancer treatment for children and
the medicines available. It also helps you
search for specialists (the web site has 300
doctors on board) and cancer treatment
centres. You can also volunteer for the
Crusade Against Cancer by investing your
time and/or your money.
Dr Jagannath's next target is to make the
web site multilingual.
He also plans offline initiatives to create
awareness and dispense care in several 'low
awareness centres.' Through the Asian
Institute of Oncology, of which he is a
member, he plans to set up cancer centres
in areas like Patna, Guwahati ("The northeast
has little to zero knowledge," he says),
Ludhiana, Kolhapur and other parts of interior
Maharashtra [ Images ]. He also plans to liase
with existing centres in these areas and help
equip them with the infrastructure they need
to upgrade their set-up.

Treatment for cancer is expensive and many patients cannot even dream of
covering the costs. Often, Dr Jagannath foregoes his consultation fees; at times,
he even waives his surgical fees. "But there are still the cost of the drugs and
the hospital overheads to be considered. That is when the donors come into the
picture," he says.

"What I have realised over the years is that the ordinary man -- more than
corporates and financial institutions -- wants to help. He may not be able to
afford much, but that is not the issue. He doesn't want to donate to an
organisation; he wants to donate to people. He may be able to put in only Rs
2,000. Another person puts in Rs 5,000. Soon, there is enough money for the
full-fledged treatment of one cancer patient. I want to see those kind of links
happening and prospering."

People, he says, often prefer to

help patients with curable cancers
than those afflicted with incurable
ones. "But there are still people
who come forward to help
incurable cancer patients."
Working with children, he says,

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5/24/2010 Project Sahayata: Fighting Cancer: Red…
gives him a special sense of
satisfaction. He says C-kids
(courageous kids who conquered
cancer) will surprise you with their
zest for life and bubby nature.
"We had the Lagaan [ Images ]
[actors who acted in Ashutosh
Gowarik er's [ Images ] Oscar-nominated film] team over last September. There
was a cricket match between the C-Kids team and the Lagaan team. The kids
won. Their day was made. They had a drawing competition later. Those
paintings were made into cards. My kids went around selling the cards and they
were so thrilled they could make some money."

Children, he says, are Project Sahayata

inspiring. "They are not
bothered; it does not strike
them that they are staring
death in the face every The moment a patient needs financial help,
minute. They live and enjoy his/her profile goes up on indiacancer.org. All
life like normal people. It is patients who need financial help will be
adults who sit with long displayed as thumbnails; the donor can then
faces when the word cancer choose the patient he wants to help.
is mentioned. We need to Once the patient receives the backing to take
learn from children." care of his/her treatment costs, his/her profile
will be taken off the list.
Meanwhile, Dr Jagannath is
propagating is the human Dr Jagannath also plans to display follow-up
touch. He says, "I was information on the patient. This will list the
recently in Bangalore for a names of the donors and the patient's current
presentation on cancer at a health status. He says, "The reason behind
software concern. At the this is very simple: you want to know what
end of the presentation there happened to the person you helped. This
were 300 software way, it is very simple to keep track of your
professionals eager to patient."
donate money for cancer
treatment. The thing is, in our country, we don't know how to follow through with
our good intentions. That is what I plan to help people do through our web site."

Dr Jagannath knows he is merely touching the tip of the iceberg. "I know finance
is a crunch to make these plans to come through. People have asked me to
advertise. If I had that kind of money, I would rather spend it on my patients. But
I have faith. If your focus is genuine and sincere, people will come to you. There
is enough goodness in our country. All I have to do is tap it."

Sita Menon

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