Ratan Tata the chairman of Tata Sons, inaugurated the Tata Medical Centre at Kolkata, a state-of-the-art facility for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of those suffering from cancer. The first phase of the project has space for 170 patients, with a provision for extending capacity to a further 150 patients, these figures do not include outpatients.


The Centre is led by its director, Dr Mammen Chandy, and is set up at a cost of Rs. 350 crore, is a not-for-profit initiative that is aimed specifically at helping cancer patients from the east and north-east of India and also from Bangladesh. The Rs. 350-crore funding for the project and an additional Rs. 40 crore corpus deposit — has been provided by the Tata trusts, various Tata companies and Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. These donations were directed to the Tata Medical Centre Trust, which executed the project.


The Centre has the best of technology, equipment and treatment protocols, and these have been put in place in consultation and collaboration with specialists at TMH and other centres of medical excellence from around the world. It is situated at Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata, it will soon also house a shelter, called Premashraya that will provide free stay and food for patients and their relatives.


About 50 per cent of the beds at the Centre are earmarked for the free treatment of those who cannot afford it. The remaining 50 per cent of patients will be in the subsidised or paying categories, and the money that accrues will be utilised to support the institution. The rest of the Centre’s expenses will be covered by charitable donations.


The Centre has specialists drawn from different parts of the world. A special emphasis will be given to children suffering from cancer at this centre. It is modelled on the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), the renowned cancer-care institution in Mumbai.


More than 3 million Indians suffer from cancer, but facilities to treat those living with the disease are few and far between in this country. The Tata Medical Centre marks the realisation of a dream to which many people have contributed, and adds another chapter to a Tata tradition of philanthropy that has resulted in the establishment of nation-building organisations such as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Science and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.


The Centre grew out of an idea that Ratan Tata had about five years ago, and it is aimed at bringing comprehensive cancer care and treatment to a part of India that urgently requires it. Several well-wishers from India and abroad, individuals as well as corporate entities have contributed to this noble cause. Besides, the Government of India, particularly the Union Finance Ministry, and the Government of West Bengal have supported the project by way of customs-duty exemptions on the import of medical equipment as well as other measures.