The initiative will help cancer patients and survivors tread through difficult times
BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital launched its breast cancer support Group, Sakhi, a group that will provide extensive engagement with other breast cancer survivors and help each member access a larger pool of Shero’s (Cancer Survivors), who have the resilience and temperament to hand-hold others in this special unchartered journey. For the Shero’s, this platform will provide consistent motivation to relive life to the fullest and be a force-for-good.
The support group was launched at the hospital’s Kengeri Unit and was attended by breast cancer survivors, patients currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, their families, and caretakers alongside management and experts from BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals including Biju Nair, Cluster COO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru; Dr Monika Pansari-HOD and Sr Consultant-Surgical Oncology, Sumalatha- Psychologist; Dr Crystal Dsouza, Assistant Prof, Department of Physiology, BGS GIMS; and Dr Madhavilatha, Genetic counsellor, Medgenome.
Speaking on the launch, Biju Nair- Cluster COO, Gleneagles Global Hospitals, Bengaluru commented, “Breast cancer diagnosis can be lifechanging for any individual and through this new collaborative effort of ours, we hope to provide a safe platform for those who have bravely fought this disease and also newly diagnosed patients who can avail the unique programmes offered by this group to help them refresh their outlook on life and give them the boost they need to continue living life to the fullest. We believe that a sense of balance in mind, body and soul is key to curing cancer. Our special programmes cater to all aspects of healing and provide the necessary support for our patients.”
Dr Pansari-HOD & Sr Consultant-Surgical Oncology who is also the lead on the Sakhi initiative highlighted the challenges concerning breast cancer in India, and commented,” The incidence of breast cancer is rising and is the commonest cancer in women. Due to the lack of awareness of this disease and the absence of a breast cancer screening program in our country, most breast cancers are diagnosed at a relatively advanced stage. Also, the quality of care available for the treatment of breast cancer patients varies widely depending on the place where the patient is being treated. While there are few centres of excellence providing multimodality protocol-based treatment at par with the best anywhere in the world, most breast cancer patients from smaller cities undergo inadequate and inappropriate treatment due to a lack of high-quality infrastructure and sometimes skills. Additional challenge causing inadequate treatment is lack of financial resources.”
