{"id":42383,"date":"2018-04-27T14:13:54","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T08:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/?p=42383"},"modified":"2018-04-27T14:16:14","modified_gmt":"2018-04-27T08:46:14","slug":"a-drug-repository-for-poor-cancer-patients-that-provides-free-medicines-interview-with-leading-oncologist-dr-sameer-kaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apnlive.com\/opinion-and-analysis-comments\/a-drug-repository-for-poor-cancer-patients-that-provides-free-medicines-interview-with-leading-oncologist-dr-sameer-kaul\/","title":{"rendered":"A drug repository for poor cancer patients that provides free medicines – Interview with leading oncologist Dr Sameer Kaul"},"content":{"rendered":"

~By Rashme Sehgal<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

With prices of cancer drugs selling at astronomical rates,\u00a0 Dr Sameer Kaul, a leading oncologist working at the Apollo Hospital\u00a0\u00a0 in\u00a0 New Delhi, along with a dedicated group of doctors has kick-started a drug repository which provides free medicine and financial assistance for thousands of poor cancer patients.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> How does your central drug repository for cancer treatment work?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Our central drug repository like the Reserve Bank of India for cancer patients. Most of the corporate sector, bio pharmacies and medical devises give us their product free of charge or at nominal rates which we try and disperse in the quickest time.<\/p>\n

I emphasise quickest time because people with cancer have little time, it is an evolving disease and one stage progresses into another. The help that cancer<\/a> patients get from state and central government through their various schemes requires extensive paper work and that takes up a lot of time.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> You said cancer is an evolving disease?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Patients do not have much time. Cancer in Stage 1 can easily become Stage 2 and by the time the money from the government schemes comes through, the patient\u2019s outlook changes\u00a0\u00a0 completely. Not so much from Stage 1 to stage 2 but much more from stage 3 to 4. The largest number of patients come in these higher stages which is why it is important to take decisions in the quickest time. Our decision to help a patient is based on the credibility of the doctor recommending the case because we ourselves comprise a team of cancer specialists and can identify the criticality of the need. If there is a patient anywhere in the country whose doctor recommends a patient is in dire states and needs financial help or drugs, then depending on who is making the recommendation and what his credibility is, we take just five minutes to decide on a case. We have kept formality to the minimum.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Why has cancer become such an expensive drug to treat?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Today cancer medication can cost anywhere from Rs 5000 a month to Rs 5 lakh a month. The cost of the new cancer drugs is very high even for the developed world where these\u00a0 drugs are being developed. We are also in the business of providing free training for nurses, technicians and general practitioners who are the first people cancer patients report to. We show them what early cancers look like. The idea is that they can pick them up early and refer them to the right place to cut short treatment time.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> Aren\u2019t doctors and nurses already aware of what cancers look like ?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> Not always. Lung cancer can be treated for months on end as TB while lumps in the breast can be thought to be benign. When they are not picked up in time, this impacts the result of the treatment. We also hold technical cancer meets for cancer doctors and patients in order to bring them up to date with changing methods of treatment and also free cancer checkups for those living below the poverty line.<\/p>\n

Q.<\/strong> We are often told a cancer epidemic is sweeping the country ?<\/p>\n

A.<\/strong> That\u2019s not true. The number of cancer cases has increased throughout the world. This is true for the higher income group , the middle income group and the lower middle income group countries. India belongs to the lower income group.<\/p>\n

Populations throughout the world are aging.\u00a0 Population levels have also increased as has life expectancy.\u00a0 Cancers of old age have added to the existing list of cancers. Cancers of the aging, prostrate, oesophagus, colon, gastroenteritis and lung cancers are on the rise. Our recording procedures have also improved. We have a name to the disease for which there was no name sixty to seventy years ago. Countries today including India maintain cancer registries to study demographics and the incidents and prevalence of cancer across India.<\/p>\n

Registries also help in the allocation of resources and to plan a line of attack. India needs to improve its recording skills. Cancer is the highest health spend in every country. All countries are not grappling with the issue of affordability. There are not enough monies and even insurance agencies do not have enough money required to adequately tackle this disease. Even richer countries are facing this problem.<\/p>\n

In India there is a double whammy. Not only do we not have enough money but our technical infrastructure is yet adequate enough. The distribution of cancer hospitals is not homogeneous and there is a lot of variability in the quality of care. We have to develop standardised cancer guidelines to treat cancer appropriately because we do not stick to schedules and protocols thereby leading to an increase in costs.<\/p>\n