The number of child cancer patients at Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) dropping out treatment or their parents refusing treatment has decreased to around 2%. Fifteen years ago, in 2008-09, this figure was approximately 25% of these children stopped receiving treatment. The main reason for this improvement is attributed to the financial support and psychological counseling provided by the hospital’s pediatric oncology department, implemented after analyzing the reasons behind the high dropout rates.
However, the launch of ImPaCCT (Improving Paediatric Cancer Care and Treatment) in 2010 changed this scenario. The foundation was established with the mission to ensure no child at Tata Memorial Hospital discontinues cancer treatment because of financial or logistical challenges. With support from donors, it provides everything from funding the treatment to counselling, accommodation, nutritional assistance and ensures continuity of care.
Shalini Jatia, officer-in-charge of the ImPaCCT (Improving Paediatric Cancer Care and Treatment) Foundation, which is managed by TMH’s paediatric oncology department, stated, “We conducted a detailed study in 2009, interviewing 300 parents regarding their reasons for stopping their child’s treatment.” The year-long analysis showed that the main reasons were illiteracy and poverty.
“Families said they didn’t know where to stay in Mumbai for the duration of their child’s treatment. They also had issues about food and problems arranging blood/platelet donors,” said Dr S Banavali, director of academics, TMH.
The foundation also tackled cultural challenges. “Parents would take loans for boys, but not for girls,” he said. “Also, many parents, especially those from outside Mumbai, in their head worked out that they couldn’t uproot their lives for one child when all their children had to be fed.”
There were other issues as well. Fifteen years ago, medical advancements were not as refined as today. For instance, children with retinoblastoma often had to lose an eye during treatment, unlike now. “Parents were concerned about the disfigurement caused by cancer treatments. Similarly, the amputations required for bone cancer treatments were another reason many parents chose to discontinue treatment,” she said.
Shalini Jatia and her team manage to raise Rs 60 crore for patient care every year. Nearly 4,000 children register for cancer treatment each year at Tata Memorial’s six centers across the country. A child’s hospital account is credited with Rs 25,000 as soon as they are taken there so that tests can be performed and a diagnosis made. “We try to understand a family’s issues,” said Jatia. “For example, if a patient’s mother is pregnant, we provide her with nutrition and medical care through the nearby Wadia Hospital.”
Over the past 15 years, the ImPaCCT team, with NGO and corporate support, has launched number of programs to ensure free treatment, accommodation, and ration for every pediatric patients. TMH also organizes classes to keep children engaged in studies and offers financial aid for vocational training post-treatment. Dropout rates, even among girls, have significantly decreased.
