Dr. Shanta was working on a special publication with The Hindu

The oncologist wanted the volume to enlighten the public

Dr. V. Shanta

Dr. Shanta was working with The Hindu on a ‘Special Volume on Cancer Institute’.

She was clear that the publication should not be a narration, but should enlighten the public and be for posterity, highlighting the concepts and ethos of the Cancer Institute — a model institution to meet the challenges of a growing health problem, cancer, in an environment of proliferation in technology but with limited resources.

Pandemic impact

Several rounds of discussions were held with The Hindu and multiple people associated with the Cancer Institute, but work on the project slowed down with the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown.

Through the publication, Dr. Shanta wanted to highlight concepts introduced by the institute much ahead of governmental action such as cancer screening programmes, introduction of the concept of oncology as a speciality, the first college of oncologic sciences and the importance of compassion and empathy in patient care.