IMCD India provides four ward units to St. Jude ChildCare Centre through IMCD Cares Fund
During the first phase of this initiative, children and their families can stay together for a year during their cancer treatments.
In India, there are between 40,000 – 50,000 new cases of cancer annually that occur in children under 15 years of age. In addition, only 1 in 10 of the childhood cancer cases receive complete therapy1. And according to a report by National Cancer Registry Programme, India’s cancer burden will increase 13% by 20252.
Besides of dealing with such difficult situation, cancer treatment comes with direct and indirect costs like traveling, accommodation, transportation, and loss of wages, among others. As a result of this, a lot of lives are lost prematurely. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that over 90% of childhood cancer deaths occur in low-resource settings. However, a quality support system can reduce the abandonment rate that happens because of these issues and improve the survival rate.
To help address these alarming concerns, IMCD India recently collaborated with St. Jude India ChildCare Centre, an NGO that facilitates recovery of children who are undergoing treatment for serious chronic diseases – like cancer – by providing clean, safe and cost-free accommodation. St. Judes has been accommodating over 22,250 children battling cancer across 37 centres in India since 2006. In addition, they have been providing high quality medical care, clean and safe physical environment, and emotional support to more than 460 families that originate from nine cities and over 517 districts where medical treatment for pediatric cancer is not available. Their impact is visible and profound.
Through IMCD Cares Fund, IMCD India assisted St. Judes by providing four Family Unit Wards where children and their families can stay during their treatment for a period of one year. Apart from accommodation, the families are provided with a weekly ration and nutritional supplements, transport facility to the treating hospital, counselling, educational and recreational activities for the children, and engaging activities and workshops for the parents.
"We are fortunate that we could extend support to St. Judes to fund four wards which will become accessible to these children and their families for a period of one year. It is an extremely gratifying and fulfilling moment for us at IMCD India, as we could play a small role in supporting this noble cause", said Amit Hirani, IMCD India Managing Director.
“Since the beginning of 2020, health, hygiene and economic difficulties have been the main issues globally. Therefore, at IMCD India we wanted to support those families who were facing monetary challenges and were unable to provide appropriate treatment for their affected children"
With this initiative, IMCD India along with St. Judes is trying to create opportunities through the well-established model of cost-free and holistic care during a child's cancer treatment. This model will not only benefit the children, but also their parents who do not have enough support to recuperate through this journey.
In addition to the four wards, we at IMCD India are going to continue supporting St. Judes through the second leg of this initiative where we will sponsor the stay of 20 families and their children for a period of one year.
* Picture Credit: St. Jude India ChildCare Centre
1 The Roche Children's Centre
2 Indian Council of Medical Research