New Delhi: UHAPO Health Services held its 4th Annual Cancer Conclave on Tuesday, bringing together, patients, doctors, cancer survivors, caregivers, policymakers, industry representatives and journalists for an open and honest conversation on what cancer care in India looks like from the other side.
The virtual conclave, was centred on the theme “Patient Advocacy First: Putting the Patient’s Voice at the Heart of Cancer Care.” Discussions focused on the realities patients face at every stage of their journey — from early symptoms and diagnosis to treatment decisions, financial stress and life after cancer.
The conclave saw participation from leading experts and stakeholders from across the country, including Dr. Sewanti Limaye, Director, Precision Oncology, Sir H N Reliance Hospital, Mumbai; Dr. Nandini Menon and Dr. Minit Shah, Professors and Medical Oncologists, Tata Memorial Hospital; Dr. Raajit Chanana, Medical Oncologist, Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Delhi; Dr. Bikas Medhi, Chairman, IUPHAR – Basic & Translational Section; Dr. Sudha Chandrashekar, former Executive Director, National Health Authority (NHA); Mr. Prabhat Sinha, Director – Public & Government Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim; Dr. Yogini Patil, HOD – Obs and Gyne, Bhakti Vedanta Hospital, Mira Road, Director of Health Services, Government of Maharashtra, and Ms. Kuheli Dasgupta, Senior Consultant, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, among others.
Opening the conclave, UHAPO Founder Vivek Sharma shared:
When the Union Budget 2026–27 came out, I didn’t read it like a policy document. I read it thinking of the families we speak to every day at Uhapo — the ones who are doing their best to hold on, while cancer makes life feel uncertain. The Budget’s ₹1.06 lakh crore allocation for Health (MoHFW) — roughly a 10% rise over last year’s revised numbers— felt like a message that this fight is being taken more seriously.
What gave me real hope were the people-first announcements: training 1.5 lakh caregivers and creating 5 Regional Medical Hubs with diagnostics and rehab support. Because in cancer care, it’s not only the patient who needs care — it’s the entire home.
And yes, the affordability steps matter too — like customs duty relief on 17 cancer drugs and Biopharma SHAKTI (₹10,000 crore over five years). But we all know- announcements help only when they reach the last mile.
That’s exactly why we’re doing The Cancer Conclave 26. Not just as an observatory or celebration event, but as a working table — where patients, caregivers, doctors, NGOs, industry, and policymakers sit together and convert intent into action.
And when the Conclave ends, we won’t leave it at “good discussion”. We’ll publish a clear, action-focused stakeholder report with a 12–24 month roadmap, so the real work starts immediately after.
Doctors also noted that truly informed decision-making remains a challenge. Low awareness about cancer, combined with limited consultation time, makes it difficult for oncologists to counsel patients across physical, emotional, social, financial and rehabilitative dimensions, in addition to explaining treatment options and side effects. As a result, emotional, nutritional and rehabilitation support often remains secondary, despite playing a major role in patient outcomes and quality of life.
Dr Raajit Chanana, Medical Oncologist (Delhi), said:
“Seeing social impact platforms become more transparent gives clinicians greater confidence that support is reaching the right place. But no single channel can solve this alone—government schemes, insurance, NBFCs, CSR, and crowdfunding must work together on one table. And while we strengthen treatment access, we must invest far more in prevention—because prevention will always be better than cure.”
The conclave also highlighted gaps in affordability and access. While patient assistance programmes offered by pharmaceutical companies do exist, speakers noted that they are often complex, poorly understood and fail to reach those who need them most. Additionally, the financial burden of cancer extends well beyond treatment costs, with travel, accommodation, loss of income and caregiving expenses pushing many families into distress. Experts called for exploring top-up options within existing government health schemes to address these gaps and stressed the need to include molecular diagnostics under government coverage to enable more precise and effective treatment planning.
One of the most closely followed sessions featured health journalist and cancer survivor Sanjukta Sharma, along with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor Gopaalan, who spoke about the stark difference between observing cancer care and living through it. They highlighted challenges around referrals, paperwork, uncertainty and financial anxiety.
Other sessions covered early detection, care navigation, financing cancer care, policy gaps, clinical trials, survivorship and rehabilitation, with repeated emphasis on building systems that support patients beyond clinical treatment alone. Speakers also raised an important policy question — why cancer is still not a notifiable disease in India — noting that better data could significantly improve planning, funding and outcomes.
“Trust starts with simple, honest communication. If a patient can’t understand what they’re signing, it isn’t real consent. We need to explain trials in clear, everyday language—keep the basics crisp, and then share more details if the patient and family want to go deeper.”, Dr Akhil Kapoor, HOD, TMC, Varanasi.
Dr. Ghanashyam Biswas – Sr Medical Oncologist from Bhubaneswar said –
“Many consent forms are so long that people end up signing without truly understanding—just like bank paperwork. What matters is the ‘mota-moti’ clarity: why this trial is right for them, what the main risks are, what support exists if something goes wrong, and what it means for their care. Give it in the local language, let families take it home for a day or two, and then sit with their questions—that’s when consent becomes genuinely informed.”
The conclave concluded with a call to build a national patient advocacy network, ensuring patient voices are heard not only in hospitals, but also in policy and decision-making spaces.
Mr. Umanath Singh, Senior Journalist at Prasar Bharati, stressed that journalists need better training and deeper understanding of health topics so their reporting remains responsible and sensitive. He also urged the audience to not accept every cancer-related message they read, hear, or see—first verify it through reliable sources, and only then pass it on.
The vote of thanks was delivered UHAPO Co-founder Mr. Umeshnath Sharma.
