Prez's Speech at Mahavir Hospital, Patna

30-12-2005 : Patna

Removing the pain of the children 

I am indeed delighted to participate in the inauguration of the Paediatric Oncology
Department of the Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Patna. I greet the organizers, distinguished doctors, guests
and dedicated nursing and paramedical staff on this important occasion.
I appreciate the missionary spirit and dedication of the institute team
in providing high quality and compassionate medical services and care to
all sections of our society. I would like to talk on the topic "Removing
the pain of the children".

Insights into Life

I would like to
share a few experiences of people and their pain and possible solutions.
Last year, I was at the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology at
Hyderabad. I met hundreds of young scientists working on the genetic
origin and manifestations of diseases, particularly Cancer. The young
scholars very enthusiastically shared with me their knowledge of
molecular biology and cellular research. They told me about the
information encrypted on the DNA in the cell nucleus and how both
problems and solutions to the human lives reside on the software that
nature has embedded in each life it creates.

Cancer, unlike many
other diseases that come from the external factors, like infections,
life styles and other environmental and physiological stressors,
primarily emanates from within the cell. The life software embedded in
the DNA material gets mutated and starts growing in a way that is not
in-line with the surrounding cells. Many times when immune systems are
impaired, life turns against itself. The tragedy becomes unfathomable
when it happens at an early age. The intensified research in the area of
DNA coding, definitely will be able to provide the diagnostic and
treatment solutions.

Sometime back, I met one gentleman whose
6-year-old grand child was on periodic blood transfusion for
Thallasemia. The permanent solution, doctors told me was a bone marrow
transplant. The bone marrow of the child was not matching even between
siblings and the parents. Unmatched bone marrow transplant is not done
in India, I was told, and even in the West it is undertaken only in
experimental situations. I met the child who was unaware of the time
bomb that was ticking inside him. I prayed for him, for that was the
only thing I could do. What can we do to strengthen the doctors?
capabilities in such a situation? I think research on stem cell and its
application towards cancer treatment holds great promise. May be
clinicians getting involved in this research will lead to a
breakthrough.

Affordable & Accessible Therapeutics

Treatment of
cancer is very often multi-pronged involving unique combinations of
radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. Genetic diagnosis can help to take
good decisions while charting the course of therapy. On the drug side,
instead of looking for agents that kill dividing cells, researchers are
now looking for agents that encourage cells to get destroyed. Inside a
growing tumor, the blood supply can be made to run short suffocating the
deformed cells. Many drugs, called angiogenic agents, are now being
used. However most of these drugs are imported and are very expensive.
Industry-hospital-research institution consortia need to be established
to develop and produce the affordable indigenous products.


Optimization of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often hazardous. It
ends up destroying healthy cells in the vicinity and in the metabolic
path of the targeted cancerous ones. A firm in Pune has developed
algorithms describing interaction between normal cells, malignant cells
and nutrients. The algorithms also take into account the
Pharma-co-kinetics of the drug. Together with inputs on patient?s age,
height and weight and the type and volume of the tumor, the mathematical
model can design an optimal drug schedule, minimizing the side effects.
The type and volume of tumor can be automatically deduced by a
combination of imaging and laboratory investigations. Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) scans offer powerful techniques in this area. This is a
good example of how advances in many disciplines of science such as
Biomedical engineering, Image processing, control systems, mathematical
modeling and pharmacology are helping in the development of better and
effective treatment for cancer patients.

Recently, while I was in
Kerala, I inaugurated a project called Karunya Nilayam. As a part of
this project children in the rural areas are being screened and provided
total treatment for cancer. Since, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, is starting
a Paediatric Oncology Department, I would suggest the Sansthan to
nominate a team of doctors to visit village schools and screen the
children. This will enable early detection of cancer. The detected cases
can be brought to the hospital for treatment. This will be a very
important dimension for treating the needy children of Bihar.


Paediatric Oncology
Unlike adults the childhood cases of cancer are
successfully treatable, as the type of cancers occurring in childhood
are more responsive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, the
success depends on the availability of adequate nutrition to the child.
Nutritional support should become part of therapy especially in rural
areas. This will decrease complications, improve immunological status
and improve survival. It is important that nutrition support is tailored
to meet the needs of the individual child.

Networking of institutions
There are a number of hospitals providing paediatric
cancer treatment in different cities of the country. It will be useful
to network these cancer treatment centers enabling exchange of
experiences among specialists leading to the delivery of best possible
treatment to Bihar children. This type of interaction will also generate
confidence among medical community to undertake treatment of complex
cancer cases. During one of my visits I found that cancer centers have
immunologists, physiologists and psychologists working together. This
model could also be followed by Mahavir Cancer Sansthan to provide
psychological support to the children facilitating faster recovery.


Conclusion
Creation of Paediatric Cancer Centre at Mahavir Cancer
Sansthan having 50 exclusive beds for children is a significant step
forward in dealing with the most challenging healthcare problem of this
region particularly of children. However, it is essential to have
connectivity of general practitioners with this centre to make a major
impact in terms of reaching the needy as well as helping them out. The
mission of offering the best available patient care, the most
sophisticated education to physicians and patients and be the leader in
the cancer research is indeed a very challenging task. This mission
demands highest of the human capabilities in intelligence, innovation
and perseverance. Above all a mind to serve the needy is important.


Let our new generation have good health and prosperity and not
succumb to the needless waste of human life. Cancer prevention and
cancer cure are indeed the twin challenges to the medico and health-care
community. Challenge transforms into mission of pain removal and thereby
provides useful life that is close to the God.

With these words, I
inaugurate the Paediatric Oncology Department of Mahavir Cancer
Sansthan. My best wishes to the Doctors and other members of this
Sansthan for success in their mission of providing quality healthcare to
the Bihar children.

May God bless you.

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