Mumbai | September 3, 2026
Mumbai’s civic-run Cooper Hospital has started a dedicated chemotherapy treatment centre for cancer patients, giving residents of the western suburbs and neighbouring Vasai, Virar and Palghar areas an alternative to travelling to Tata Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The centre is being established on the fourth floor of the hospital’s C wing. Preparatory work, including arrangements for electricity, a doctors’ room and patient beds, is under way. The facility has been initiated with the support of local MLA Amit Satam, the report said.
A separate oncology outpatient department began operating at Cooper Hospital about a month ago. The department is held every Tuesday at 1.30 pm, while oncologist Dr Shreya Gattani has been visiting patient rooms five days a week to collect information about patients receiving care at the hospital.
Eleven patients have visited the outpatient department during its first month, according to the report. They are undergoing examination and counselling. Chemotherapy has begun for one of the 11 patients, while tests for the remaining 10 patients are in progress.
The new centre is intended to reduce the travel burden on patients from Mumbai’s western suburbs who currently need to visit Tata Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy. The treatment can cause significant physical discomfort, making repeated travel particularly difficult for patients and their families, the report said.
The facility is also expected to reduce the financial burden on patients treated in municipal hospitals. A single chemotherapy cycle generally costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000, according to the report. Since patients may require multiple cycles, total treatment expenses can range from about Rs 3 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, making cancer care difficult to afford for many low-income families.
The Budharani Trust is supporting the provision of medicines for chemotherapy at the centre. As a result, patients receiving the treatment will not have to bear the cost of chemotherapy medicines, the report said.
The report did not specify the centre’s full treatment capacity, the date on which all planned infrastructure will be completed or the number of chemotherapy beds to be made operational. Further details on the centre’s schedule and services are expected as the remaining preparations at Cooper Hospital are completed.
