2 new dharamshalas to come up in Mumbai to house cancer patients

The dharamshalas will provide accommodation to economically backward patients and their families during the treatment period.

Sujata Yadav from Bihar, in Mumbai for her cancer treatment, had to stay on a pavement opposite the Tata Memorial Hospital with her husband for six months before she found a place in a dharamshala in Dadar. “The lodges here are very expensive. We could not afford to live there beyond a few weeks. We needed the money for treatment,” she said.

Much to the relief of people like Sujata, who flock to the city regularly for cancer treatment, two new dharamshalas are scheduled to come up in the city in the next two years. The dharamshalas will provide accommodation to economically backward patients and their families during the treatment period.

The new shelter homes, in Kharghar near Advanced Center for Treatment Research and Education in Cancer (Actrec), and in Parel near Haffkine Institute, will provide living space for 500 people at a nominal tariff ranging between Rs 10 to Rs 30 per person for one day. If enough sponsors pitch in once the facility starts, food will either be free of cost or at minimal rates.

The government-aided Tata Memorial hospital receives over 60,000 patients annually for treatment, of which over 80 per cent come from outside Mumbai. “We will ensure the property is maintained well and kept clean. Hygiene is necessary to avoid spread of any infection amongst patients,” said Dr Rajan Badwe, director of Tata Memorial Center.

While the Dharamshala near Haffkine Institute will come up to support the launch of Hadron beam therapy to provide improved radiation to treat cancer cells, the second dharamshala will cater to patients referred to Actrec for treatment by the Tata Memorial Hospital.
The city currently has five dharamshalas that provide accommodation services exclusively for cancer patients. While the Gadke Maharaj dharamshala in Dadar houses 500 people, the Dr Ernest Borges Home in Bandra gives shelter to another 250 patients and their attendants. The Nana Palkar home in Parel has space for 150 patients.

“We receive 10 patients every day. A lot of people are even willing to live even in the corridors until a room is available,” said Prashant Deshmukh, manager of Gadke Maharaj dharamshala.

tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com

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