HEALTH

The Silent Crisis: Why India Must Rethink Its Breast Cancer Care System

India stands at a crossroads. As breast cancer cases rise at an alarming rate, the nation’s healthcare and emotional support systems continue to lag dangerously behind.

A breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t just affect one person — it sends shockwaves through an entire family. For many women, hearing the word “cancer” replaces certainty with fear and confusion. Families, unprepared for the emotional and logistical chaos that follows, often find themselves just as lost. What was once someone else’s tragedy becomes their own reality overnight.

A Growing Burden, an Unready System

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), breast cancer now accounts for nearly 27% of all cancers among Indian women, with more than 2.3 lakh new cases every year. Yet survival rates remain worryingly low — only about half of diagnosed patients live beyond five years. The problem isn’t a lack of skilled doctors, but a system that still confuses treatment with care.

The Gaps Begin Inside the Hospital

From the very first hospital visit, women often face a maze of uncertainty. There are few clear guidelines, no preparation for surgery or radiation, and no advice on recovery, clothing, or managing side effects.

In contrast, hospitals in countries like the U.S. provide basic post-surgery kits, specialised garments, and skincare essentials for radiation recovery. In India, these simple aids are either unaffordable or unavailable. Patients are left to cope — often in silence.

The Emotional Vacuum

Beyond the physical pain lies an equally profound emotional toll. Counselling for patients and families is rare, even in major hospitals. The psychological trauma — fear, self-doubt, and anxiety — often remains unaddressed. Families, unsure how to provide support, watch helplessly as their loved ones struggle in isolation.

Even after surgery, recovery is far from smooth. Overcrowded hospitals, long waiting hours, and poor infection control add to the suffering. These issues aren’t caused by lack of money, but lack of empathy — an institutional mindset that sees patients as statistics, not as individuals fighting for dignity.

The Financial and Gender Divide

Behind every story of survival lies another — of crushing financial stress. Nearly 47% of India’s healthcare costs still come directly from patients’ pockets. A full course of breast cancer treatment in private hospitals can range from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. Schemes like Ayushman Bharat offer partial relief but rarely cover advanced therapies or reconstruction procedures.

For women from rural or semi-urban areas, the lack of nearby hospitals, affordable lodging, and information about subsidies makes treatment almost impossible. Many face a cruel choice — between fighting for their life or protecting their family’s finances.

Gender inequality deepens the wound. Many women hesitate to spend on themselves, viewing treatment as a “burden” on the family budget. This mindset — where a woman’s health is secondary to her household role — delays diagnosis and reduces survival odds. Nearly 60% of Indian women are diagnosed at advanced stages (III or IV), when chances of cure are minimal.

The Road to Change

India’s health policy must evolve from reactive to preventive and patient-centric. Insurance coverage for women should expand, and families insuring female members deserve tax incentives. If tax breaks exist for women entrepreneurs, why not for women’s health?

Less than 20% of Indian women have independent medical insurance — a statistic that demands urgent redress. Women’s healthcare isn’t charity; it’s an economic necessity.

The government must also prioritise rural outreach, working with self-help groups and panchayats to spread awareness and provide affordable coverage. Establishing subsidised cancer hostels near major hospitals could ease the financial burden on rural families forced to travel long distances for care.

Beyond the Pink Ribbon

Hospitals should institutionalise counselling, peer-support groups, and patient navigators — people who guide families through every step of diagnosis and recovery. Real healing requires emotional strength as much as medical expertise.

Awareness, too, must evolve. One-month campaigns and pink ribbons are not enough. Education on early detection and self-examination should become part of everyday health communication, especially in regional languages and rural areas where awareness remains dangerously low.

This October, as we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, India must move beyond symbolic gestures. It’s time to humanise healthcare — to make empathy, not efficiency, the foundation of our cancer care system.

A nation that speaks so often of empowering its women must first protect their right to live — with dignity, security, and hope. Health cannot remain a privilege. It must become a promise.