CanKids signs MoU with Govt. of Madhya Pradesh to Provide Access2Care for Children With Cancer
On April 20, 2022, CanKids KidsCan – National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India proudly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Madhya Pradesh, as their knowledge and technical partner for childhood cancer. This is our 6th state-level MoU.
CanKids will work with the state department as well as all concerned departments, including the National Health Mission, the Department of Medical Education, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, and other allied departments to strengthen childhood cancer care and support.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Priyanka Das (IAS) Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM) with CanKids KidsCan Founder-Chairman Ms. Poonam Bagai.
Also present was Dr. Ashish Saxena, Dr. Ashish Saxena, Dr. Himani Yadav and Dr. Jugal Lachhwani from the NMH team, and CanKids’ team represented by Dr. Dhanshri S. Pradhan, Head – National Outreach Program, and Pradnya Kasle, Deputy General Manager, Western Region.
Under the MoU, CanKids will work with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, and all relevant stakeholders to:
- Develop an Access2Care model, including a 4-tier Childhood Cancer Network with referral pathways from primary to tertiary levels and for Shared Care at primary, district, and tertiary cancer care centres for diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care.
- Provide access to care information and awareness to health professionals, government officials, civil society, and patients’ families.
- Build capacities of health care professionals, allied social support teams and health workers as well as patient-parent education for childhood cancer.
- Ensure the provision of facilities and services for patients’ families including access to funding and financing through government and other welfare schemes, financing schemes, insurance as well as donor support.
- Drive improved standards of access to treatment, care, and support through improved quality, research, and epidemiology.
- Ensure family engagement and patient participation of patients, survivors, and parents to ensure patient-centric care.
“Today we have signed MoU with CanKids organization which is working all over India. And this MoU is for the next 5 years, in which the complete care for children’s cancer – from screening, and diagnosis to complete treatment, will be ensured through capacity building of all stakeholders, timely testing and shared treatment facilities.
We will not only support children within the state but also if any child has to go to any other state-related to Ayushman Bharat for good treatment. CanKids works with the whole family besides children, providing counselling, and emotional support to families so we will be able to make the whole process seamless with CanKids’ support.
An MIS will be developed to track the diagnosis and treatment of every child with cancer and each child will have a unique Health ID to track the diagnosis and treatment of every child with cancer.”
– Priyanka Das (IAS), Mission Director, NHM.
Children Fighting Cancer Thank The State Government of Madhya Pradesh
18-year-old Deepu Kumar told the ACS that his family had to run from pillar to post in search of treatment for his Osteosarcoma before they finally mad it to AIIMS, Delhi, where he had his chemotherapy and surgery. Not only his own, but his brother’s education was also affected. Mercifully, the Ayushman Bharat scheme covered almost all his treatment. CanKids provided gap-financing and educational, psychological, and social support during that time. Today, Deepu is taking his board exams, wants to do his MBA from Indore, and is receiving follow-up care at AIIMS Bhopal. His father Pramod Kumar hoped that families should not have to go outside the state for treatment going forward.
Deepu, a member of the CanKids survivor group, KidsCan Konnect, will be our ambassador for the Change for Childhood Cancer project in Madhya Pradesh.
Collaboration between stakeholders is crucial. When 9-year-old Saksham was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in February this year at AIIMS Bhopal, the medical costs far exceeded the family income of INR 9,000. The Social Support Team facilitated funds for Saksham under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana for his diagnostics and investigations. Saksham’s treating doctor at AIIMS Bhopal has recommended a bone marrow transplant, currently not available in Madhya Pradesh. CanKids is handholding the family under its YANA – You Are Not Alone – program, and working closely with NHM, AIIMS Bhopal, and other medical experts to guide the family and ensure the best treatment.
Saksham’s grandmother urged for best guidance and full financial support and expressed her wish to see him fully recovered to be able to take care of his two disabled parents when he grows up.
“The aim is to ensure that families of children with cancer get best access to care along with right treatment support and care – through appropriate knowledge of where to go, timely diagnosis and treatment, shared care and continuity of care, working at all levels – primary health care, district ,and tertiary cancer centres.
To do so along with all relevant stakeholders including state governments, hospital management, health professionals, other not-for-profits, parents and survivors and civil society.”
– Poonam Bagai, Founder Chairman, CanKids
The incidence of childhood cancer in Madhya Pradesh is 4,946 each year against all India Incidence of 76,805.
This makes it the 5th highest state after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and West Bengal accounting for 6.44% of the total incidence in India.
Our extensive baseline studies indicate that 30% of children with cancer are being treated at a cancer centre in Madhya Pradesh, the largest number being treated at Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital and Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (Indore), AIIMS (Bhopal), Cancer Hospital & Research Institute (Gwalior), and SRJ CBCC Cancer Hospital (Indore). We estimate that 70% of the children of Madhya Pradesh who have cancer get neither a diagnosis nor treatment.
We have had a presence in Madhya Pradesh since February 2022. Since, 2021 our National Outreach and West India teams have mapped and identified 27 hospitals treating childhood cancer where they will work over the next five years.
The state has major treating canters in Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Ujjain, and Jabalpur.
Over the next five years, we plan to work with all stakeholders to create a Hubs and Spokes or Shared Care model for the state with the support of the government of Madhya Pradesh. Through it, we will ensure that we increase children’s access to cancer care from the existing 30% to 50%.
With this MoU in place, we will work closely with the government as well as other partners and state players (including Trust and Private Hospitals treating children with cancer) to ensure better access and quality of care with higher survival rates and positive outcomes.