Tata Trusts to set up cancer facility in Tirupati in association with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

Tata Trusts today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for building a state-of-the-art cancer centre in Tirupati.

Taata Trusts said in a statement that given the rising cancer burden in the region, it has joined hands with TTD to bring affordable cancer care closer home to the people of the region.

Tata Trusts has been working in cancer care for several decades across a spectrum of activities, ranging from the setting up of pioneering institutions such as the Tata Memorial Hospital in 1941 and Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, in 2011, to providing medical relief grants to individuals suffering from cancer.

Recognising the centrality of infrastructure to cancer service delivery and the shortage for it in the country, the Trusts is in the process of conceiving and setting up or upgrading various super specialty centres across the nation with the objective of decentralising cancer care in the country.

As a member of the National Cancer Grid, a forum of 106 cancer hospitals, Tata Trusts has access to experts across these centres to enable its various cancer initiatives. The Trusts plan to raise funds internally and externally to finance these not-for-profit hospital projects.

The proposed facility in Tirupati will be a comprehensive centre, with in and out-patient facilities, diagnostics, therapeutics, rehabilitation and other such support services. In a phased manner the centre will house Operation theaters, linear accelerators for Radiation Oncology, Brachytherapy and a Bone Marrow Transplant unit. The hospital will be constructed on 25 acres of land provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

Tata Trusts will set up a project management vehicle that will be responsible for all aspects of construction, execution and operationalization of the facility. The Trusts will also rope in a team of experts from Tata Medical Center, Kolkata and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai to provide technical assistance to the project.

This state-of-the-art cancer care centre in Tirupati will address the increasing numbers of cancer cases in the region to begin with, and will evolve to become a renowned centre of excellence in oncology education and research as well. The centre will strive to provide affordable care to patients without denying care to those with financial constraints.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Sambasiva Rao, EO, TTD andR. Venkataramanan, managing trustee, Tata Trusts. Also present were R K Krishna Kumar, trustee, Tata Trusts, and N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons.

TTD is a conglomeration of temples, brought under the First Schedule 2 of the Act 30 of 1987. The Board of Trustees is constituted by members appointed by the government. TTD maintains 12 temples and their sub-shrines, and employs about 14,000 persons.

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Tata Trusts is amongst India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development.  Since its inception, Tata Trusts has played a pioneering role in transforming traditional ideas of philanthropy to make impactful sustainable change in the lives of the communities served. Through direct implementation, co-partnership strategies and grant making, the Trusts support and drive innovation in the areas of education; healthcare and nutrition; rural livelihoods; natural resources management; enhancing civil society and governance and media, arts, crafts and culture. Tata Trusts continue to be guided by the principles of its Founder, Jamsetji Tata and through his vision of proactive philanthropy, the Trusts catalyse societal development while ensuring that initiatives and interventions have a contemporary relevance to the nation.