Hyderabad, July 15, 2017: Serial healthcare-entrepreneur Sonali Srungaram today announced the launch of her oncology help startup venture ‘Cancer Clinics’ in Hyderabad. “It is the beginning of a lasting commitment” she says, to devote time and effort to make life easier for all those who live in great trauma to face this health challenge.
Cancer Clinics – a first of its class dedicated cancer speciality clinic, provides a set of curated services for cancer patients and their carers to improve well-being through integrative care by a team of highly skilled healthcare professionals.
CEO & Co-Chairperson of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Mr. GV Prasad and his wife Mrs. Anuradha, Co- Founder & Managing Trustee, Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, formally opened the ‘Cancer Clinics’ services to the people amidst a gathering of prominent oncologists and healthcare advocates.
Lauding the Cancer Clinics initiative GV Prasad said “It is very vital to catch cancer early to reduce the disease burden both for the patients and their carers.” Such clinics are the need of the hour.”
Talking about what led her to create ‘Cancer Clinics’ Sonali Srungaram – Managing Director of ‘Cancer Clinics’ says she understood the need for ‘Cancer Clinics’ after having started CIPHER Healthcare, which delivers large cancer prevention drives. As some of the early customers uncovered malignant lesions, the team at CIPHER also observed a pressing need to handhold them as they got treated.
‘Cancer Clinics’ follows Sonali’s first Pan-India venture ‘Cancer Helpline’ that exposed her and her team to challenges of navigating the health system for cancer treatment and the anxieties that patients, as well as their carers, felt dealing with cancer.
‘Cancer Clinics’ was born after having served 2,50,000 cancer patients and paying one-to-one attention to over 25,000 of them. “Our aspiration is to solve cancer patients’ needs for integrative care and to ease their struggle to find it.” Sonali expressed.
The patient responsive well designed ‘Cancer Clinics’ situated in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, offers screening, information, advice on nutrition, relaxation classes, psychologist and nursing support for anyone needing to talk or dealing with the most mind-enduring subjects like being a likely candidate, depression, fear of end, fear of cancer recurring and other issues not easy to address in a hospital setting. The initial set of services includes specialist nursing, nutrition, counselling, physiotherapy and coaching.
“There is a wind of change in the landscape of cancer,” she explains, “because more people are able to survive cancer. Those with a recurrence live longer. What is needed is a care centre that eases their burden and that’s how ‘Cancer Clinics’ took birth.
After leaving a well paying job in The United Kingdom, Sonali, with her family, and after returning to India, launched a pan India ‘Cancer Helpline’ that has already benefited thousands of people around the world seeking information about the subject and guidance to experience the joys of everyday living and fighting the fear. Patient-centricity and integrative care with sharp focus on cancer is CIPHER’s distinctiveness.
CIPHER is potentially the first healthcare company to create a cadre of professionals called Coaches, medico-social workers who can guide a patient through the treatment and rehabilitation journey to enhance wellbeing. CIPHER has also created specific protocols for cancer patients for nursing, nutrition, counselling and physiotherapy.
People might want to find out more about screening and their treatment options if diagnosed with the ailment. Sonali knew a heart-warming space was needed to digest even the worst of news for those affected and their near and dear ones and that will be Cancer Clinics’ highest priority.
CIPHER was initially bootstrapped by the founder and Rs 1 crore was invested. In 2016 an initial Friends & Family round of funding raised Rs 0.75 crore. Currently, Rs 3.5 crores is being raised from angel investors and existing investors to fund the first Cancer Clinics.
‘Cancer Clinics’ plans to expand to other cities once the new centre establishes its core goals.
Patients can contact ‘Cancer Clinics’ through their website www.cancerclinics.in, or via toll free number – 1800 123 7545 or via e-mail: info@cancerclinics.in
About CIPHER Healthcare
CIPHER ( www.cipherhealthcare.com ) focuses on dramatically improving cancer care in India. The company has two offerings: Cancer Helpline- a pan-India web-based and on-the-phone cancer coaching service; and Cancer Clinics- a first of its kind speciality clinic that provides a set of curated services for cancer patients and their carers to enhance wellbeing through integrative care.
CIPHER has to build a cadre of empathetic care providers that are able to stay on top of the rapidly evolving cancer care protocols and who keep the patient’s interest foremost. The biggest challenge for CIPHER is to recruit the right talent and retain them.