When a family member is diagnosed with cancer, the process is never his or her own. Caregivers are themselves at the center of ensuring that treatment and recovery proceed without glitches. India has become the preferred destination for cancer treatment for international families, particularly those resident in South Asia and the Middle East. High-tech hospitals, professional doctors, and affordable cancer care in India have patients and caregivers traveling together.
But it is not easy to go abroad for therapy. Caregivers have difficulties with accommodation, hospital policy, transport, dietetic requirements, and the psychological burden of caring for a loved one. The following guide points out what caregivers need to know about traveling with patients for cancer therapy in India.
India provides top-class oncology treatment at a fraction of the cost in the West. The majority of patients beginning cancer treatment in Bangladesh will seek out India for advanced procedures like bone marrow transplants or proton therapy. This eases caregivers’ fears, but also puts upon them the onus of addressing the non-medical aspect of care.
Not many hospitals have caregiver guesthouses, but serviced apartments near treatment areas are
used by most families. Caregivers need to consider:
Hospital policies vary regarding caregivers’ stay. Private wards but not intensive care units are commonly offered to caregivers to stay in. Prepare for:
Indian city driving is intimidating. Ride-hailing services such as Uber or Ola are on every street corner, but quite a few caregivers arrange hospital pick-ups or employ private car drivers. Proximity to the hospital saves time and stress in traffic, particularly for routine treatments.
Recovery is facilitated by good food. Hospitals offer food, but caregivers supplement with home food. Useful measures are:
In Bangladeshi families, dietary similarity in Indian diets facilitates nutritional care during cancer treatment in India.
Caring for a foreign cancer patient is psychically exhausting. Caregivers need to juggle working on medical issues while maintaining their own composure. Healthy habits are:
Recognizing stress as an even-tempered caregiver facilitates better recovery.
One Dhaka mother brought her daughter to Chennai for a bone marrow transplant. With assistance in finding accommodation and visa assistance, she was able to accompany her and be a source of emotional support.
A Nepali caregiver who traveled to Mumbai to see his wife employed a personal driver with MedTriPlanner’s assistance and took relaxed hospital trips on a daily basis.
These are representative of caregivers acclimatizing with structured guidance.
We assist patients and caregivers with MedTriPlanner by:
By removing the care from the hospital, we make it less daunting to avail the treatment overseas.
Conclusion
It is far greater than hospitals to bring a loved one to India for cancer care. Caregivers need to organize accommodation, hospital protocol, travel, diet, and emotional burden. The reputation of India for quality and affordable cancer care in India makes it a destination across the world. Some of these patients who start with cancer treatment in Bangladesh find that India is a destination of preference for improved care afterward. With collaborative assistance from MedTriPlanner, caregivers are able to ease the tension and concentrate on what really matters: the health and recovery of their loved one.
