Ratan Tata powers Tata group’s drive for cancer patients with 1000 crore massive Diwali gift !!

Led by former Tata group chief Ratan Tata, Tata Trusts, which is one of the top charitable trusts in the country, has decided to take a big step in boosting cancer-related treatment in the country. Tata Trusts has promised to give Rs 1000 crore along with other resources to help the Centre’s move of developing cancer-care centres in five states, says a Mumbai Mirror report. The initiative will be a boon for thousands of patients who have problems in accessing treatment for cancer and have to travel to Mumbai for treatment at Parel’s Tata Memorial Hospital, the country’s premier cancer-care centre.

The five-states namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh will have facilities on the lines of the Tata Memorial Hospital, that provides free or highly subsidised treatment in over 60 percent of the cases. It will be a relief for patients who come from struggling families and cannot stay in Mumbai for a longer period. As per the Mumbai Mirror report, the Rs 1,000-crore aid pledged by Tata Trusts will come in the form of internal infrastructure and medical equipment. Their doctors and paramedical staff will be trained by Tata Memorial Hospital.

According to Mumbai Mirror, the trust’s three-phase project in Assam will cost Rs 540-crore, whereas its hospital in Jaipur will come up at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The Trusts will get 23.5 acres land in Ranchi and the Indian Railways cancer institute and research centre will be upgraded in Varanasi. In Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, the Tirupati Balaji Temple Trust will provide 25 acres for a new facility.

The cancer-care facilities in Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh will be created afresh, reports Mumbai Mirror, or they’ll be upgraded on the lines of Parel’s Tata Memorial Hospital. This hospital receives cancer patients from across India and provides free or highly subsidised treatment to 60% of them. It has 700 beds and gets about 67,000 new cancer patients every year.

The government will use the ₹1,000 crores on better infrastructure and medical equipment.

Picture for representation only. 

Some quit the treatment midway as they can’t afford to stay in the city for the entire duration of the treatment. The new facilities that will be introduced will try to tackle this issue.

The hospital, the country’s top cancer-care centre, provides free or highly subsidised treatment in over 60 per cent of the cases. But the massive workload invariably leads to a long waitlist. Majority of the patients hail from struggling families which cannot afford to stay in an expensive city like Mumbai for a long time. Many quit the treatment midway. The new facilities will help tackle this problem.

According to an official in the central department of atomic energy, whose functioning is overseen directly by the Prime Minister’s Office, Ratan Tata recently shared his desire to open more affordable cancer treatment centres. He also urged Tata Group companies to chip in through their CSR programmes.

The Rs 1,000-crore aid pledged by Tata Trusts will come in the form of internal infrastructure and medical equipment. Their doctors and paramedical staff will be trained by Tata Memorial Hospital.



Tata Trusts has already signed an agreement with the Assam government for upgrading the main cancercare institute in Guwahati and adding capacity (advanced tertiary care facilities chemotherapy, radiation and surgical oncology) in hospitals in other districts. The Rs 540-crore project will be carried out in three phases.

“I am extremely delighted to have met the legendary Ratan Tata and members of the Tata Trusts for what may become a rare philanthropy government collaboration on cancer care and management,” Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted on October 12. Sarma was in Mumbai at the time.

A new hospital will come up in Jaipur, Rajasthan, at the cost of Rs 200 crore. The state government there will bear most of the cost. In Ranchi, Jharkhand, Tata Trusts will be allotted 23.5 acres for a new centre. In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the existing Indian Railways cancer institute and research centre will be upgraded. Tata Memorial took over the facility recently. In Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, the Tirupati Balaji Temple Trustwill provide 25 acres for a new facility.

“Once the new or upgraded centres start operations, patients from north India won’t have to come all the way to Mumbai for basic treatment,” said a senior doctor at Tata Memorial.

Mirror could not contact officials of Tata Trusts for comment.

The Parel hospital, which has 700 beds, treats around 67,000 new cancer patients from across the country every year and also attends to 4.5 lakh follow-up cases annually. People from the Middle East and Africa also seek medical attention here.

At a meeting with central government officials last year, experts from Tata Memorial revealed that one third of the patients hailed from north India, and discussed the possibility of opening dedicated cancer centres there to speed up treatment.