Hyderabad: It was in the early hours of Tuesday, Jan 19 before much of the city had woken up, that information began to leak about the passing of a pioneer in cancer care in the country and the chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute, Dr. V. Shanta.
After the news broke on social media about the demise of Dr. V. Shanta, all of Tamil Nadu sank into mourning one of its most prominent and respected personalities. The crowds that gathered at her funeral procession, spoke volumes of the impact that Dr. Shanta has had on various segments of society.
- Dr. V. Shanta was born in a distinguished scientific family of India in Chennai. Her immediate grand uncle and uncle were both Noble Laureates.
- She graduated (M.B.B.S.) in 1949, D.G.O. in 1952, and M.D, in Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1955.
- Her entire medical life over 50 years has been dedicated to the mission of organizing care of Cancer patients, the study of the disease, its prevention, and control, the generation of specialists and scientists in different aspects of Oncologic Sciences.
Tributes from PM, VP and state leaders
Tributes poured as the day progressed, with patients, colleagues, and political leaders talking of how she had touched their lives and improved the field of oncology. All of them were clear that Dr. Shanta occupied a unique space that will now be a void with her passing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, apart from State leaders, and healthcare professionals from across the country gave tribute to her.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister also paid tribute to Dr. V. Shanta for her immense contributions.
Dr. Shanta was rushed to hospital after she complained of chest pain on Monday, Jan 18 at about 9 p.m. She initially insisted on being medically managed on campus, but colleagues at the Cancer Institute took a call to rush her to a private hospital, as the institute is not a cardiac care center.
They said examinations showed she had a massive block that could not be rectified, and the end came shortly before 4 a.m.
Her body was placed in the old Cancer Institute office, which she helped build along with her mentor S. Krishnamurthi, and several patients, their relatives, nurses, doctors and members of the public paid their tribute.
Right through the pandemic, Dr. Shanta continued to be worried about the new challenges to health care brought on by the lockdown. It deeply troubled her that many sick people could not be treated during the peak of the lockdown, and she was looking for multiple safe options to open up services again.
- Dr. V. Shanta was known for her work on cancer care and for building the Cancer Institute with her mentor. The institute is known for providing state-of-the-art health care to all patients, irrespective of their economic condition.
- She was on WHO Advisory Committee on Cancer till March 2005. She was also Convener of the State Advisory Board on Cancer. She has been the Chairman of the INDO-US Collaborative Group on Lymphoid Neoplasias (Indian Chapter), member of many ICMR Committees, member of the ICMR Task Force on Registries, and member of the Syndicate of the Anna University.
- She was the president of the Indian Society of Oncology (88-90), President of the Asian & Pacific Federation of Organisations for cancer control (97-99), and President of the 15th Asian & Pacific Cancer Conference (1999).
- She has participated in a number of Scientific International Collaborative Programmes.
Remembering Dr. V. Shanta, pioneer in cancer care
She always emphasised the ethos of the Institute as providing service for all and care for the needy. She often pointed up on the need to pursue research and remembered Dr. Krishnamurthi’s enthusiasm for research and his driving mantra: “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Treatment”. Dr. Shanta often pointed out that the challenge in cancer today was early detection and prevention. Dr. Shanta never lost any opportunity to recreate the need for tobacco control and government support to implement the regulations.
In her medical career spanning over 60 years, she focussed on organizing care of cancer patients, the study of the disease, its prevention, and control, creation of specialists and scientists in different aspects of oncologic sciences.
She played a key role along with Dr. Krishnamurthi in the development of the Institute from a cottage hospital of 12 beds to a comprehensive cancer centre, according to the Institute.
She was responsible for the recognition and practice of medical oncology as a specialty and the creation of a separate medical oncology division at the Institute. The first super specialty course in surgical and medical oncology in India was introduced at the institute in 1984.
On December 28, 2020, she participated in the launch of Tamil Nadu Cancer Registry Project Report 2020, a collaborative study by the Cancer Institute and Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu. Apart from many awards from public and official organizations for her contribution to the advances in management and control of Cancer, she was the recipient of major National and International Awards.
Remembering Dr. V. Shanta, pioneer in cancer care
Remembering Dr. V. Shanta, pioneer in cancer care
In 2013, Dr. V. Shanta received Avvaiyar Award by the Government of Tamilnadu. She will always be remembered for her contributions.
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