Partnership to facilitate free cancer screening and treatment to rural areas of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat

Mumbai, India: Merck, a global leader in science and technology, has established strategic partnerships in India with the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust, a not-for-profit organization and the HCG Foundation a unique not-for-profit initiative of HCG – South Asia’s largest cancer care network. These collaborations aims at facilitating free cancer screening and treatment support to rural areas of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Under its partnership with HCG foundation, Merck will deploy Oral Cancer Screening Vans to promote educational awareness of oral cancer, along with conducting cancer diagnoses and screenings in the rural areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Through this program, Merck plans to organize around 100 cancer camps, benefiting at least 10,000 rural residents by providing screening and education on the symptoms and prevention of oral cancer.

Continuing its focus on enhancing access to cancer care, Merck and the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust are working together to raise awareness about cancer care and provide treatment to people in approximately 600 villages in Karnataka. So far, under this initiative, 933 people have been screened, 60 have received diagnostic support, 106 have been identified with pre-cancerous lesions, 68 have been treated for non-cancerous oral ailments, and 2 people diagnosed with cancer have been provided with referral support.

These initiatives will offer people in the targeted areas, free consultations and lab investigations such as Sugar Tests, BP and BMI measurements, along with physical oral check-ups, Trismus testing, and screenings through digital apps, to assess their overall health, potential risk factors, pre-cancerous lesions and offer counselling on the next appropriate actions.

Merck is deeply committed to ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible to all strata of society at affordable prices. The company is deeply committed to social responsibility, positively impacting over 120,000 lives through initiatives in education, healthcare, relief, and employee engagement. In the past, they also launched a program called, “Care on Wheels”, an oncology project which was focused on screening, awareness, diagnostic support and palliative care for terminally ill patients’ cancer patients. Guided by its core values, Merck continues to play a pivotal role in India’s science and technology landscape, driving innovation to create, improve and prolong lives.