‘In February 2023, after losing the father in a sudden heart attack, we were living after seeing the mother’s face. But in March 2024, when the mother’s cancer was detected in the third stage, we broke mentally. In a few months, the whole family also broke financially. The cancer victim’s daughter Kajal cried while saying. But this story is not just about Kajal. The way the number of cancer patients is increasing in the country, the families of most of the victims are struggling with these conditions.
Now that in the general budget on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced no tax on 36 medicines related to serious diseases like cancer, he has got some relief. Apart from this, it has also been announced to open a day care cancer center in all the districts of the country in the next 3 years. In this financial year, 200 such centers will be opened. This is a great news for the family of 50 -year -old Sunita, who is struggling with cancer. His daughter Kajal says that in the last 10 months we have known how the family of patients suffering from cancer breaks down.
Kajal says that in 2023 last year my father passed away from a heart attack. During that time, the whole family was running on the father’s earnings. I also used to do small jobs. After the father’s death, I left my job. I was the eldest at home. After the father, my grandmother and my mother were the only one, seeing that we felt that we have a shadow of elders. But after the father left, grandmother started getting sick. She lived in my village in Rajasthan. My mother and a brother used to serve him. Even after a lot of treatment, we did not get well there, so when we brought them to AIIMS, we came to know that they have vaginal cancer. After putting a long line of treatment in AIIMS and after hours the number came, the doctor was able to see him. She was afraid of this long process of the hospital. His medicines were going on that in a few months she left us.
Mother detected third stage cancer in March 2024
Right now we could not recover from the death of father and grandmother that in March last year, the mother’s neck started to suffer and pain. We showed a physician many times. If I took medicine from there, the mother would be cured, but then in a few days her pain would increase. After this, we showed the ear-hose to the doctor. The doctor asked us to conduct some tests. He expressed the possibility of cancer us. When we conducted their biopsy and pap smear test etc., it was cleared that he has a throat cancer, that is also a third stage …
All four sisters and brothers broke down completely. Kajal says that we are so scared that if they have told the mother, then they should not have a heart attack. So we started treatment how we told them. The doctor said that his operation will have to be done quickly, cancer is moving upwards. On the other hand, the mother’s voice was getting worse. If she eaten anything, the pain would have increased. Their food was started to stop drinking.
Compulsion was to be treated in private hospital
Kajal says that during the treatment of grandmother, we saw that there are long lines for treatment in AIIMS or any government hospital. We then decided that whatever is the capital deposited of Papa and whatever help from medical insurance. We will treat them from private hospital. We then underwent a mother’s operation in a well -known hospital for Rs 10 lakh. Well, the doctor there gave relief by saying that cancer was not moving upwards.
After the operation, doctors put a tube from the mother’s nose. For months, we give mother to the mother sometimes moong dal water and porridge water. So far he has had 33 chemotherapy. We have put medicines, testing and sometimes in the expense of the nurse, so far about 25 lakh rupees. Now we have nothing left. We started getting chemo therapy from the Delhi State Cancer Institute several months ago. Both brothers and sisters do private jobs and I take care of the mother alone. I did not even join another job so that I could serve my mother. The weight of the mother has now come down from 42 to 32 kg. Doctors say that now the tube has to be removed from the nose and putting it in the stomach, otherwise there is a possibility of infection. The mother is still not able to eat with her mouth. Kajal says that I have felt my family in this crisis, how cancer also breaks the family of patients.
A well-known cancerologist in Delhi said in the condition of anonymity that the treatment of cancer is very difficult for the poor family. Day-care has started in Mumbai. Chemo costs 6 to 7 thousand rupees in these days, while in a renowned private hospital, its expenditure is 25 thousand or more. Apart from this, it was very important to get a subsidy 5D in cancer medicines. Cancer disease is continuously increasing in the country, the government can help patients at the ground level only by working at the district level for its treatment.