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In a first, Tata Memorial Hospital to set up Ayurveda-based cancer hospital in Khopoli
Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai will become the first cancer hospital in India to offer Ayurveda treatment with the establishment of a 100-bed facility in Khopoli. The hospital plans to integrate Ayurveda with modern medicine and will also grow its own medicinal plants for research purposes. The hospital has received funding of INR300 crore ($39.8m) from the Department of Atomic Energy for the project. The facility is expected to be operational by 2026 and will also provide standard cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Mumbai: Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) is set to become the first cancer hospital in India to set up 100 beds to treat cancer patients with Ayurveda at Khopoli. On June 17, HT reported on sprawling medicinal plantations to come up on 18 acres of land in Khopoli where ayurvedic vanaspatis will be tested for cancer research.
Dr Shripad Banavali, director of academics, TMH, said the hospital will be an integrated cancer care centre. The Khopoli centre will be 30-40 minutes away from Kharghar’s Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) centre. “We want to integrate Ayurveda along with standard modern medicine. We are also going to grow our own medicinal plants,” he said.
The hospital, set to come up by 2026, has been studying the role of yoga and Ayurveda in improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients and the efficacy of certain Ayurvedic medicines. Dr Banavali said Ayurveda and yoga have not been tested rigorously in a scientific manner like it is done in modern medicine.
“A scientific study is needed to understand whether Ayurveda works and where it works (in the treatment protocol), among other aspects. Instead of using raw products from elsewhere for the research, we use homegrown medicinal plants,” he said.
The hospital has received ₹300 crore from the Department of Atomic Energy for the centre, which will be spearheaded by Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, head and neck cancer surgeon. “We have seen many cancer patients being misled via WhatsApp or YouTube on fake alternative medicine that claims to treat cancer. At this new centre, we will cultivate 20-25 ayurvedic plants which are believed to have anti-cancer properties and continue researching on ayurveda in cancer treatment,” said Dr Chaturvedi, adding the Khopoli hospital will also provide standard cancer treatment, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
“In that entire belt, there is no cancer centre. There was a request to set up a cancer care facility. The 100-bed hospital will fill that void,” he said.
Dr Anil Heroor, onco-surgeon, Fortis Healthcare, who had been researching alternative medicine and palliative care, said it’s a welcome move that TMH is getting into integrated cancer care. “It will bring much-needed scientific-based evidence. We will conduct clinical trials and collect scientific data. At present, integrated cancer care is practised across the country in an unregulated manner. The problem is patients also try many things and many quacks result in the system getting abused,” Dr Heroor said.
During his ongoing research, Dr Heroor has seen palliative cancer care patients doing better with Ayurveda. “Their symptoms are relieved. Likewise, we will get to know other areas in cancer that can benefit from alternative medicine,” Dr Heroor said.
