Charitable hospitals must find ways to sustain: Managements – ET HealthWorld

Bengaluru: Charitable hospitals should not depend upon donations alone, but should find ways to sustain themselves, said managements of such facilities across the country at a panel discussion on making cancer care affordable.

The discussion was organised at Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre as part of its 10th annual day celebration on Saturday. The panel comprised founders of charitable hospitals from across India, including Bareilly, Pune, Mathura, Jaipur and Visakhapatnam.

While acknowledging the important role charitable hospitals play at a time when government hospitals are inadequately resourced and corporate ones are expensive, the managements exchanged best practices of running these facilities, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and responses from the government.

“The hospital should choose a disease and not a class of people. It is important that charitable hospitals cater to everyone. There should be a place for the rich too, as they are the ones who fund these places. In the West, therefore, these hospitals are called not-for-profits so that it does not give an impression they are only for charity,” said Dr T Subramanyeshwar Rao, medical director, Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Hyderabad.

The managements agreed that funding flows in the beginning when infrastructure is being developed. However, it slows down later, leaving hospitals to find their own ways to gather funds for treating the needy. “In 2014, we conducted a study and found the number of people who drop out of treatment due to the cost factor. A large number were children. We started a scheme called Donate a Life, and specifically selected curable cases so that more people feel free to donate,” said Maj Gen Dr SC Pareek, medical director at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur.

The managements differed on where the funds come from. “We should be careful. The funds could come from people who sell tobacco or gutka,” said Dr Shishir Gosavi, managing trustee, Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Cancer Hospital, Miraj. However, Dr BR Patil, consultant surgical oncologist and chairman, Padmashree Dr RB Patil Cancer Hospital, Hubballi, said: “I do not think so. We have funds from gutka manufacturers. If they want to do something good, we should accept it,” he said.

The managements stressed the need for maintaining a good reputation. Dr Piyush Kumatr, HOD, radiation oncology, RR Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Bareilly, spoke of how research grants will bring in funds.

The event was attended by Justice MN Venkatachaliah, former chief justice of India, and Susmita Bagchi and Subroto Bagchi, Mindtree co-founder.