A saviour for poor cancer patients

While working with a government hospital in Delhi, oncologist Dr Deepak Jain once met a man whose sad face is etched in his memory. “He came from a remote village in Uttar Pradesh. He would travel in a bus with his wife after borrowing some ₹100-150 rupees from villagers. He used to make and sell beautiful paper flowers for just ₹10. The couple would go without food for days as every bit of the man’s earning was being spent on their travel and yet even a primary diagnosis was far away. He had been coming to the hospital for months. It pained me to see him in such a distressed state,” recalls Dr Jain. The doctor would see patients wait for two to three months in hospitals for the diagnosis, and then again wait for five months for the first chemotherapy session. “I wanted to do something to change this horrifying situation,” he says.

Thus came up his NGO Umeed in 2019 where he and his wife Shraddha Jain established their clinic — C4U (Comprehensive Cancer Care and Cure) at Vaishali for the poor. Dr Jain provides free consultation to patients every day, along with diagnostic facilities and treatment at minimal cost. “We charge 90% less than any other clinic for chemo sessions. Paying a nominal amount keeps the dignity of the patient intact. But there are so many who can’t even afford to pay their travel fare. We help fund their treatment through our network,” says Jain who has treated more than 700 poor cancer patients in the last two years. “We don’t want them to die standing in a queue in a government hospital,” says Dr Jain who also helps patients find employment opportunities once they recover.