Though it opened three paediatric cancer units in other cities, the number of paediatric cancer patients at the Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) continues to be high, and the centres too have seen a rise in their numbers. Barring the 50-60 patients referred by TMH, all the centres have cumulatively witnessed 3,500 new patients since January this year and the hospital administration expects the number to increase to 5,000 by next year. Typically, TMH gets around 2,500 new patients every year.

Rising numbers
The TMH's Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital opened in Varanasi and Vishakhapatnam last year. While the centre in Varanasi reported around 500 new cases, the centre in Vishakhapatnam reported another 200-250 cases. The TMH's B Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati has reported 500 new patients this year. Dr Girish Chinnaswamy, head of Paediatric Oncology at TMH said, "Once the other centres opened, we had expected the number of patients at TMH to drop since we thought that parents of children afflicted with cancer would prefer to take them to a centre closer to their home. But data shows that the number of patients coming to TMH remained the same and new patients are going to the other centres."