Delhi hospital, Merck partner to improve access to head & neck, colorectal cancer care

A Delhi government cancer institute and leading life sciences and technology company Merck on February 17 joined hands to accelerate access to treatment and care for head and neck and colorectal cancers, which account for a significant disease burden in India.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) and Merck Specialities aims at strategic collaboration towards creating pathways to address and accelerate access to cancer care treatment to patients who need them the most, a press statement said.

“Aligning with the universal health agenda, through this partnership with DSCI, we hope to see enhanced awareness, increased number of early diagnosis that will definitely help with improving patients’ lives," Pratima Reddy, managing director, Merck Specialities, said.

The partnership through multiple interventions aims to improve disease awareness, upgrade the knowledge and enhance capability for early diagnosis.

Ease of counselling, treatment

Merck will organise patient screening health check-up camps at the DSCI campus for essential oral examination of the patients. Patient counsellors will guide the patients and caregivers on therapy needs apart from educating patients on treatment, psychological care, and diet.

The company plans to organise symposiums and training programs to upgrade the clinical knowledge of DSCI healthcare professionals and senior doctors on the advances in treatment and guidelines for head and neck and oral cancers.

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Reddy said the rise in the number of head and neck cancer cases in India and in the world was alarming. Joining forces with DSCI was a natural progression of the company’s effort to prolong and improve patients’ lives, she said.

“There are several access projects that we are working on and public-private partnerships such as these are really the way to reach and impact as many patients as possible,” she said.

DSCI director Dr Kishore Singh said the partnership would try to improve the accessibility of cancer treatment to patients and narrow the gap that is evident across the country but specifically in and around Delhi.

“This partnership also contributes towards our goal of improved treatment of our patients via early detection of the disease,” Singh said.