Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), a cancer care facility, has been offering cancer treatment and other services to patients. But due to COVID-19, cancer patients are facing a lot of difficulties in getting accommodation. Keeping this requirement in mind, the Maharashtra government hand over keys of 100 Mhada flats to TMC for these cancer patients
In addition, TMC has been trying to create more accommodation as their social service for poor cancer patients. To address this need, the Maharashtra government has given a land parcel in Parel on which Tata Memorial has planned to build a Dharmshala for almost 300 cancer patients. This would be completed in the next 18 months.
Currently, Tata Memorial Hospital has few accommodation facilities such as the one at Bandra (Borges Memorial Home) and St. Jude child care facilities at Wadala and few scattered accommodation facilities provided by other organisations. These facilities are able to cater to only 50 per cent of the overall patient’s accommodation needs. The principal reason being lack of affordability. In Mumbai, accommodation is very expensive and many cancer patients pay 50 per cent of their money for out of pocket expenses like accommodation, travelling etc.
The mandate and objective of TMC is to provide comprehensive care in the field of cancer that includes education, research, awareness, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation.
Other than giving the best cancer treatment, accommodation is one of the most important challenges faced by outstation patients in Mumbai.
