The country woke up to the sad news of the passing away of Dr V Shanta, doyen of cancer care in the country. She was 93 years old and was working until her hospitalisation.
Since morning, a stream of ministers, doctors and patients had come to Adyar Cancer Institute to pay their last respects to a legend who dedicated her life to the treatment and study of cancer.
Her 60 years of service has been unparalleled, and as many doctors say, ‘There can never be another Shanta.’
The Adyar Cancer Institute (WIA), located in Chennai, is one of the oldest and most reputed cancer treatment centres in the country. The institution offers high-quality cancer care to all sections of the society, and is well known for free hospital services it offers to the poor.
Pioneer in Changing the Perception of Cancer
Dr V Shanta was born in 1927 into a distinguished family that included two Nobel Laureates, C V Raman and S Chandrasekar.
She did her schooling in Chennai, completed her M.B.B.S from Madras Medical College in 1949, D.G.O. in 1952, and M.D. in Obstetrics & Gynecology in 1955. She was also trained in Toronto and the UK in advanced cancer care in the 1960s.
In 1954, she joined the Adyar Cancer Institute, founded by Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, the first women graduate of medicine in India.
For the first two years, she served as honorary staff, much to the displeasure of her family.
Since she took over as the chairperson, her name has been synonymous with the Cancer Institute at Adyar, Chennai, a pioneering centre of oncology which started in 1954 with a thatched shed, 12 beds, and two doctors, Dr Shanta and Dr Krishnamurthi. Today, it has two campuses, 423 beds, and patients coming from all over the country.
To be Laid to Rest with Police Honours
Dr Shanta will be laid to rest with full police honours, said Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Tuesday.
In 2013, former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had presented her with the ‘Avvaiyar Award.’
'Never Missed a Day at Work'
Dr Radhakrishnan, state health secretary recalls her fondly. "In December 2020, we released a cancer registry which the state government did on her insistence. Her institute had taken the lead in collating names of cancer patients across the state.”
“The last time I met her she told me — I have very little time, but a lot to do. Her crusade against tobacco, cancer screening in several places.. she is a legend.”Dr Radhakrishnan, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary
'She Made Us Feel Like We Were Her Family:' Patients
65-year-old Ramesh living in Dubai still remembers how Dr Shanta saved his father decades ago. “In 1990, my father had pancreatic cancer and we found it only in the final stage. Thank God for her, my father was saved and we had a new found positivity in life.”
80-year-old Radha’s cannot hold back her tears while talking about what Dr Shanta meant to her.
“In 1970, my sister was diagnosed with second-stage breast cancer. We were very scared and went to the institute. She looked at us and told us to leave and return with a smile and positive thinking. 10 minutes after talking to her, we were confident as ever. She told me to first believe that she will be cured and to promise to follow everything she tells to.”
“She would make provisions for us without even asking, from a pass to fly by a plane, to directions to the nearest hotel for good idli-sambhar. She would call us by our first names and she would talk to us like family members,” says Radha.
Oman-based Subramanian told FIT how when he had contacted Dr Shanta in December for treatment for his son, she personally responded to him on mail and remembered treating his mother 40 years ago.
'Very Big Shoes to Fill'
The Cancer Institute has been a pioneer known for many firsts — It was the first specialised hospital for cancer care in South India at a time when there was no public awareness about it. The Institute started a department of nuclear medical oncology introducing radioactive isotopes in diagnosis and treatment in 1957, the first Indian-built X-ray Therapy Stimulator in 1969, and in 1976, the Linear Accelerator, a High Energy X-ray machine more advanced than Cobalt 60.
In 1960, the institute started specialised academic courses through Madras University and later established the Dr Muthulakshmi College of Oncological Sciences, affiliated to MGR University, the first of its kind in India.
Dr Sameer Mehta of Mehta's Hospitals says all these achievements were possible due to the relentless work done by Dr Shanta.
“She has done so much for the unprivileged. She actually opened up her doors for research with IIT Madras and several institutes, as she saw the opportunity to make a difference on a bigger scale,” he said.
“If heaven had a level, then this human being was right on top of that level.”Sam Sameer Mehta, Chairman, Mehta’s Hospitals
‘Humility Personified’
Dr Shanta moved into the campus on 13 April 1955, and remained there.
She was a member of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission for Health and a strong advocate of early detection of cancer.
She was awarded Padma Vibhushan (2016), Padma Shri (1986), Padma Bhushan (2006) and the Magsaysay Award (2005). The awards are a tribute to Dr Shanta’s pursuit of excellence, dedication to studying and understanding cancer and outreach to the poor.
The award citation on her Magsaysay reads, “In an era when specialised medical care in India has become highly commercialised, Dr Shanta strives to ensure that the Institute remains true to its ethos, `Service to all.' Its services are free or subsidised for some 60 per cent of its 100,000 annual patients [...] eighty-seven-year-old Shanta still sees patients, still performs surgery, and is still on call twenty-four hours a day.”
Dr Mohan of Mohan Diabetes Clinic recalled his experience of learning from her and working with her on understanding the correlation between cancer and diabetes.
“She is humility personified. She always wore a simple cotton saree, lived in a small residential quarter on campus, spent her whole life dedicated to cancer. She came into this field when cancer was not even considered a speciality and literally built that status for oncology 60 years ago,” he said.
He recalled how he has recommended several healthcare staff who couldn’t afford treatment to Adyar and received class A treatment from Dr Shanta’s institute.
"She was never concerned about her personal glory but just lived, breathed and died in the cancer institute. She is a legend and has left behind a huge vacuum and quite a big shoes to fill in at the Adyar institute," he said.
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