RSS successfully mobilized a staggering Rs 550 Crores CSR fund, contributed by Reliance and Adani, to establish a state-of-the-art Cancer Hospital in Nagpur.
NAGPUR (India CSR): The National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Jamtha was formally inaugurated on April 27, 2023. The private hospital has received around Rs. 550 crores from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
A major chunk comes from public sector undertakings (PSUs), with private companies like Reliance and Adani groups also contributing, the Times of India reported.
The funds for the hospital intended to provide low-cost treatment to cancer patients were being collected since 2014.
NCI has been built by a trust, Dr. Abjaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha, named after Dr. Thatte, an RSS Pracharak. Started in 2017, the hospital has just completed its second phase and was fully dedicated to the public last week.
The guests included Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Billionaire Gautam Adani was also present along with representatives of other companies which contributed to the hospital.
“We began approaching companies with the concept of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in the city. It was tough, but we could finally garner enough funds,” says Shailesh Joglekar, general secretary of the trust that runs the hospital.
Return on investment from a cancer treatment facility has a very long gestation period. This can deter the private sector from investing larger amounts. This makes a CSR-funded hospital a better option, he says. As CSR has become mandatory, it also helped the cause, he said.
The funds have helped build the entire setup. As this takes care of the capital cost, patients can be treated at a low cost. This comes to almost half of what is charged by the private sector on average, says Joglekar. He agrees that given the scale of funds purely through CSR, NCI is one of its kind. Even smaller donations can be made by individuals, which qualify for tax rebates, he says.
If treatment is free in government hospitals, it comes at heavily subsided rates as compared to the private sector at NCI, he says.
Founded under the visionary leadership of Dr. Aabaji Thatte Sewa Aur Anusandhan Sanstha (Trust), the National Cancer Institute is a specialized cancer treatment center providing comprehensive care at the quaternary level. The institute’s mission revolves around three key phases: Comprehensive Cancer Treatment, Patient Care, and Research, all driven by sustainable charitable efforts.
Situated on a sprawling 25-acre campus, the National Cancer Institute is designed to accommodate 470 beds initially, with a built-up area of approximately 950,000 square feet. In the future, the facility has plans for expansion, allowing for scalability of up to 700 beds. The hospital building itself will be a 10-level structure, encompassing around 700,000 square feet of built-up area.
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