Merck India, a leading science and technology company committed to supporting cancer patients, has announced a strategic partnership with Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust, a not-for-profit organisation, under their ongoing Rural Oncology Project.

The announcement was made during an event held at Shree Sathya Sai Hospital, Bengaluru. The key objective of the event was to bring together significant stakeholders from the government, academia, healthcare, and business sectors to initiate a conversation on the necessity of joining hands towards a larger goal like tackling the oral cancer burden that the country is struggling with.

This initiative aims to provide residents of underserved regions of Bengaluru with access to quality cancer care, including screening and free diagnostic support at the state-of-the-art facilities of Sri Sathya Sai Madhusudan Hospital. Additionally, this project will also help in identifying biomarkers for cancer by providing biopsy samples to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay for furthering the research undertaken by them in said domain. 

Continuing its focus on enhancing screening, early diagnosis and timely access to cancer care, Merck and the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust are working together to raise awareness about cancer care and provide treatment to people in approximately 600 villages in Karnataka. So far, under this initiative, 933 people have been screened, 60 have received diagnostic support, 106 have been identified with pre-cancerous lesions, 68 have been treated for non-cancerous oral ailments, and 2 people diagnosed with cancer have been provided with referral support.