E-Paper
Looking at cancer care, through the gender lens
Lack of awareness about symptoms, social stigma, and, often, abandonment by family impede timely and quality treatment for women from the lower income groups
A cancer diagnosis for women in rural areas throws up major challenges, the principal one being extreme financial stress. Treatment costs often drive families into poverty or massive debt, especially when the patient lacks public health coverage. Lack of awareness about symptoms, social stigma, and, often, abandonment by family impede timely and quality treatment for women from the lower income groups.
Fear of being ostracised or being seen as a burden leads women to hide symptoms and delay seeking care. Decisions to seek medical attention after the onset of symptoms and, following diagnosis, to go for treatment are often made by male family members, to the detriment of women’s health. This leads to late-stage diagnoses and delays in confirmatory tests, by which time medical intervention is less effective. Today, the lakhs of Ayushman Aarogya Mandir (Health & Wellness Centres) set up across rural India as part of the primary health care can no longer afford to neglect cancer among women and are screening for oral, breast, and cervical cancers. Individuals with suspect symptoms are referred to higher facilities for confirmation, diagnosis, and treatment. The challenge is the uneven delivery of services due to lack of staffing, training and poor tracking. There are infrastructure gaps as well, alongside low community uptake and low awareness. Moreover, oncologists and nursing staff specialising in cancer care are also rarely available in rural areas.
Sanjeevani Life Beyond Cancer is a noteworthy effort in this regard, born from former bureaucrat Ruby Ahluwalia’s deeply personal experience. Ahluwalia realised how little support — medical, emotional, social and financial -- underprivileged women had, after she was diagnosed with Stage III metastatic cancer. The gaps compelled her to start cancer support for women, with the realisation that true healing for women extended far beyond cancer remission and called for systems that enabled them to live a full life beyond this. Sanjeevani offers holistic cure, care and rehabilitation for underprivileged women in free centres in 33 government hospitals across 15 states. It has impacted 13.5 lakh patients, the majority of them women, since inception.
A research study commissioned by Sanjeevani and conducted by Nirmala Niketan College, Mumbai, on the significance of psychosocial support for cancer patients and survivors, highlights that women disproportionately experience anxiety, fear of recurrence, emotional distress, and social isolation. These challenges are often intensified by caregiving responsibilities, financial dependence, and cultural conditioning that discourages emotional expression. The study clearly establishes that unaddressed psychological distress adversely impacts treatment adherence, quality of life, and recovery outcomes. Reflecting on her own experience, Ahluwalia says, “The physical and psychological pain after the first chemotherapy became unbearable” — a sentiment echoed by thousands of women across the country. When Punita Solanki, 50, a stage III ovarian cancer patient undergoing treatment in an Ahmedabad hospital was introduced to Sanjeevani, she enrolled in a four-day online workshop conducted by the organisation. “It helped me understand that survival is not defined by treatment alone, but by courage, resilience, and mindset.”
Sweety Parmar, 59, a breast cancer patient from Rajasthan says, “Receiving this diagnosis was overwhelming, bringing with it fear, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion. I was searching not only for medical treatment, but also for strength, understanding, and hope. I am deeply grateful to be part of a community that stands beside cancer patients during treatment and in their journey toward life beyond cancer.”
The views expressed are personal
