SRCC Children’s Hospital, managed by Narayana Health celebrated International Childhood Cancer Day at the hospital. The event was part of an awareness drive by SRCC Children’s Hospital to make children suffering from cancer and their parents aware of its curability and motivate them.

Priya Dutt Roncon, Ex-Member of Parliament and daughter of renowned Bollywood celebrities Mr Sunil Dutt and Mrs Nargis Dutt, was the chief guest for the event.

Priya Dutt Roncon attended the event and encouraged children by cheering them during the dance performances. She personally met children who are being treated for cancer at the SRCC Children’s Hospital. There was special dance performance by cancer survivors & members of Ugam, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Support Group functioning under umbrella of Indian Cancer Society. Chhandam Nritya Bharati Group performed Indian traditional dance form Kathak.

Commenting about the event, Dr Purna Kurkure, Chairman, Clinical Oncology Collegium Narayana Health Group and Head, Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology & BMT at SRCC Children’s Hospital said, “International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is celebrated around the world each year on February 15th. ICCD is founded by Childhood Cancer International (CCI), a global network in association with International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) the lead organization with over 2000 healthcare professionals engaged in treatment of childhood cancer. The story of Childhood Cancers is a journey from Nihilism to Optimism. Childhood cancers which were invariably fatal 50 years ago now enjoy a long -term survival of 70-80% when treated promptly, appropriately & adequately and most survivors are cured. First chance is the best chance and giving optimum treatment at outset is the most important factor in deciding the outcome of these cancers.”

Each year, more than 300,000 children from birth to 19 years age are diagnosed with cancer around the world. Approximately 8 in 10 of these children live in low and middle-income countries where their survival rate is often near 20%. This is in stark contrast to high-income countries, where cure rates exceed 80% for many common childhood cancers. Children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries are four times more likely to die of the disease than children in high-income countries because their illnesses are not diagnosed, they are often forced to abandon treatment due to high costs, and the health professionals entrusted with their care lack specialized training. Approximately 5% of total cancer burden in India is in this age group as estimated by cancer registries. Thus, 40,000-50000 new childhood cancers are estimated to be diagnosed annually. Only 20-25% children with cancer are in the net for treatment in India.

“Together, on ICCD, we raise our voices and envision the day when there will be No More Pain and No More Loss for all children with cancer regardless of where they live in the world.”

SRCC Children’s Hospital located at Haji Ali Park in Mumbai central is a 207-bed tertiary care facility offering multi-speciality services exclusively for infants, children and adolescents. It is managed by Narayana Health with strong credentials in paediatric care backed by SRCC – an institution renowned for serving the needs of children with physical challenges. Designed on international standards the hospital offers affordable, yet world-class medical care with all super-specialities under one roof apart from a complete set of rehabilitation programs.