Santosh Cancer Foundation was established with full realisation that there are structural problems associated with healthcare in underprivileged areas, rather than simply clinical ones.

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Many times, delays in either diagnosis or treatment arise not due to non-existence of medical centres, but because of lack of a mechanism from community awareness to clinical practice.

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As a Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon and Cochlear Implant Surgeon, having dealt directly with patients over the last decade, I can attest to this.

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People with cancer come in late-stage not because there is no treatment available, but due to the delay in recognizing it, fear, lack of information, poverty, and other reasons. A condition which might be cured by an early diagnosis becomes complicated and calls for prolonged treatment or sometimes even palliative care.

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Likewise, children with profound deafness come into the system too late. Despite their diagnoses, parents struggle with comprehending their child’s condition, seeking further medical help, and funding treatments, including cochlear implant surgery. There are many dropouts in the process.

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However, upon completion of this process, the results are transformative – hearing and speaking for the first time in the child’s life, or recovery from the cancer in the patient after treatment, allowing him to lead a normal life.

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From such experiences, a profound gap can be identified:
The issue is not just the existence of the disease; rather, the issue lies within the gap between diagnosis and treatment.

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Santosh Cancer Foundation is an attempt at closing this gap through developing a structured process for awareness, diagnosis, referrals, treatments, and follow-ups.

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The idea behind this project is a dedication to my mother, who continues to drive my sense of service outside the clinic.

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The objective is to develop a process that does not lose any patient between diagnosis and treatment.