Counseling support to breast cancer patients undergoing treatment
Breast cancer accounts for 19-34 per cent of all cancer cases among women in India. There is a high mortality rate due to late stage diagnosis of patients usually present at an advanced stage because of lack of awareness and non-existent breast cancer screening programmes. Strong support for the idea that low cancer awareness may lead to a delay in diagnosis. Strong support for this idea comes from consistent findings across many sites that the failure to recognize the seriousness of symptoms is associated with delay in presentation. Other risk factors for delay in presentation in cancer include social deprivation, older age and inadequate access to treatment.
It is proven that in cancer, the treatment given by the doctors is much more effective, when taken in the right spirit.
The Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation is supporting Sanjeevani to provide counselling support to cancer patients who are undergoing treatment. A group of cancer survivors, who are handpicked and trained by the Cancer Specialists, provide counselling support to patients. Psycho-social support, reimbursement of medical expenses, nutrition counselling, trauma care after chemotherapy, etc. are part of the counselling support that is extended to patients.
Sanjeevani – A Life Beyond Cancer is an organisation committed to providing holistic care to cancer patients. The organisation has initiated counselling programmes at the following hospitals:
Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer, ATREC, Navi Mumbai
Rashtra Sant Tukdoji Regional Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Nagpur
Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Bhopal
Through this program breast cancer patients were provided psychosocial support thus enabling them to access a comprehensive health care going beyond medical care.