Chennai: Being home to the oldest cancer institute in the country, Chennai is better off in terms of cancer treatment and awareness than other states, according to national cancer study, ‘Painful Wait’, done by Gleneagles Global Hospitals in collaboration with Sorento Health.
The study aimed at understanding the journey of cancer patients in India. “As Adyar Cancer Institute is the oldest such institute in the country, the public in the city is better aware of its work and about cancer as a disease,” said Dr T. Raja, senior consultant, medical cncology, Apollo Cancer Hospital.
‘Painful Wait’ covered six major Indian cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. It surveyed 600 cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. It indicated that the initial symptom recognition and diagnosis, access to cancer diagnostic tests, multiple diagnostic tests, time taken from diagnosis to confirmation, poor access to oncologists, initiation of treatment, satisfaction with hospitals and cost of treatment were the main areas of concerns for cancer patients and caregivers in India.
“Chennai city, according to the report, also ranks high on satisfaction while choosing a hospital than the other regions. With a large number of government as well as private hospitals providing excellent cancer treatment in the city, we can safely say that the city is a forerunner in terms of treatment,” said Dr Raja Sundaram, director - Gleneagles Global Institute of Oncology, Gleneagles Global Health City, on the sidelines of a World Cancer Day meet on Saturday.
“Due to efforts on awareness of the disease and the need for early diagnosis, the public is willing to come forward on their own for treatment unlike 10 years ago," said a health official.
