Frequently asked questions

Cancer care access remains a critical challenge for patients across Central Tamil Nadu and surrounding regions.

Many families currently travel over 300 kilometres to metropolitan centres such as Chennai and Bengaluru for advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment. This often results in delayed care, high out-of-pocket expenses, treatment interruptions and emotional strain.

This initiative aims to bring comprehensive cancer care closer to patients by creating advanced diagnosis, treatment and supportive care capacity in Trichy.

According to estimates from the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCRP), shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India recorded approximately 15.7 lakh new cancer cases in 2025.

Tamil Nadu alone recorded approximately 1.01 lakh new cancer cases during the same period.

These numbers highlight the urgent need for timely diagnosis, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgical oncology and long-term follow-up care closer to patients and families.

The project addresses the lack of comprehensive cancer care capacity in Central Tamil Nadu and surrounding regions.

In the absence of an integrated cancer care institution closer to their communities, patients often face delays in diagnosis, difficulty accessing advanced imaging and radiation therapy, financial burden and loss of continuity in treatment.

The institution is being developed to reduce these barriers and improve access to timely, integrated cancer care.

The proposed institution is expected to serve patients across Central Tamil Nadu and surrounding regions, including parts of Southern, Eastern and Western Tamil Nadu.

The regional catchment is estimated at approximately 7.2 crore people across 17 to 18 districts.

Once operational, the institution is expected to enable access for approximately 25,000 patients annually.

Trichy is centrally located and well connected to multiple districts across Tamil Nadu.

It is emerging as an important industrial, educational and medical hub after major metropolitan centres such as Chennai and Bengaluru. Establishing advanced cancer care services in Trichy can improve access for patients from surrounding districts and reduce dependence on distant metropolitan hospitals.

Sughavazhvu Healthcare is the Section 8 not-for-profit healthcare entity mobilising CSR and philanthropic support for critical oncology and imaging equipment.

Its purpose is to improve access to timely, affordable and quality cancer care for underserved communities across Tamil Nadu.

Excel Healthcare, a unit of Excel Group, is developing and operating the comprehensive cancer care facility at Sooriyur, Trichy district.

Its role is to create the hospital infrastructure and operational ecosystem required to deliver advanced cancer care services in a structured and sustainable manner.

Excel Healthcare is developing and operating the hospital infrastructure.

Sughavazhvu Healthcare is mobilizing CSR and philanthropic support specifically for critical oncology and imaging equipment.

This structure allows donor-funded equipment to remain under the governance of a Section 8 not-for-profit entity, while the hospital infrastructure and operations are supported by Excel Healthcare.

The vision for this initiative was conceived in 2020 and shaped by the personal experience of Mr. M. Muruganandam, fondly known as MMM, Chairman of Excel Group of Companies and Director of Sughavazhvu Healthcare.

Rooted in Trichy, he has long understood the region's healthcare access challenges. After witnessing close family members undergo cancer treatment and travel over 300 to 350 kilometres for advanced care, he recognised the urgent need for comprehensive cancer care closer to patients in the region.

That experience became the foundation for creating a regional institution dedicated to timely, dignified and advanced cancer care.

This project creates a legacy cancer care capacity rather than one-time support.

By funding critical oncology and imaging equipment, donors help enable earlier diagnosis, accurate treatment planning, timely therapy and improved continuity of care for thousands of patients each year.

The contribution becomes a lasting healthcare asset for the region

A proposed 75-bed comprehensive cancer care institution is being developed at Sooriyur, Trichy district.

The institution is planned as an integrated facility offering advanced diagnostics, radiation oncology, chemotherapy, surgical oncology and supportive care under one roof.

It is designed to reduce travel burden, improve timely access and support better cancer care outcomes for patients across the region.

The project has moved from concept to active implementation.

Land has been secured at Sooriyur, Trichy district for the comprehensive cancer care institution. The project has progressed through land allocation, statutory approvals, advisory planning and active construction.

Key progress achieved so far includes:

The project has also progressed through key regulatory, statutory and construction-related approval stages, including:

This progress demonstrates that the initiative is not at a preliminary concept stage, but is already moving through execution with appropriate planning, compliance and technical oversight.

The project is supported by medical, architectural, structural, MEP, radiation safety, legal, corporate, CSR and project execution teams.

Key advisory and execution support includes medical advisory teams, architectural and engineering consultants, radiation bunker technical consultants and legal, corporate, CSR and project teams.

This helps strengthen project planning, clinical readiness and implementation discipline.

The estimated overall project cost is approximately ₹100 crore. Excel Healthcare is financing the hospital infrastructure, while Sughavazhvu Healthcare is mobilising approximately ₹50 crore in CSR and philanthropic support for critical oncology and imaging equipment required to make the facility clinically operational.

CSR and philanthropic partnerships will support critical oncology and imaging equipment required for diagnosis, staging, treatment planning and cancer treatment.

The equipment requirement includes LINAC, PET-CT Scanner, MRI Scanner and Brachytherapy Unit.

These systems are central to making the institution clinically operational

The total equipment requirement is approximately ₹50 crore (USD 5.5 million)

Yes.

Donors may support one or more specific equipment components based on their CSR mandate, philanthropic priorities, naming interest or impact alignment.

Support may be directed toward LINAC, PET-CT, MRI, Brachytherapy or a defined oncology service area.

Donor-supported equipment will directly strengthen the cancer care journey.

LINAC enables advanced radiation therapy. PET-CT supports diagnosis, staging and treatment response assessment. MRI enables high-resolution imaging and treatment planning. Brachytherapy supports targeted radiation therapy, especially for cervical and related cancers.

Together, these systems will help patients receive timely, accurate and continuous cancer care closer to home.

Supporting individual patients provides immediate assistance. Funding medical equipment creates long-term healthcare capacity.

A single major equipment partnership can support thousands of patient interactions over several years by enabling repeated diagnosis, treatment planning and therapy access.

This makes the contribution immediate in-patient impact and lasting in institutional value.

Advanced oncology equipment requires significant time for procurement, import, logistics, installation, calibration, licensing and commissioning.

Early donor commitments are required ahead of the tender and purchase order stage so that equipment readiness can remain aligned with the planned operational launch.

Timely support will help avoid delays and enable patient services to begin as planned.

The indicative timeline is aligned with planned operational readiness by June 2027.

Delays in donor commitments may affect equipment procurement, installation and commissioning timelines.

Since advanced oncology equipment has long procurement and technical readiness cycles, early funding decisions are important to keep the institution on track for clinical readiness.

Timely commitments help ensure that patients can access services when the institution becomes operational.

Once operational, the institution is expected to enable approximately 30,000 patients annually to access cancer care closer to home.

This includes outpatient consultations, diagnostic investigations, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgical oncology and supportive care.

Underserved patients are expected to benefit through government schemes, insurance-supported care, subsidized care pathways and philanthropy-supported access initiatives.

The objective is to reduce financial hardship, travel burden and delays in treatment for patients and families who currently face access barriers.

Cancer treatment often requires multiple visits for diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, therapy and follow-up.

By bringing these services under one roof in Trichy, the institution can reduce treatment interruptions and help patients complete their prescribed care journey more consistently.

This is especially important for patients requiring multi-stage treatment.

Impact will be measured through operational, clinical and patient-care indicators.

These may include equipment utilization, diagnostic investigations completed, radiation therapy treatments delivered, patient volumes, subsidized beneficiaries, treatment access indicators and reduction in travel burden.

Where appropriate, anonymized patient stories may also be shared to reflect the human impact beyond numbers.

Sughavazhvu Healthcare holds the following statutory registrations:

These registrations enable eligible CSR and philanthropic contributions in accordance with applicable provisions.

Donor contributions will be ring-fenced for approved critical oncology and imaging equipment.

The use of funds will be supported by defined accounting, documentation, utilisation reporting and impact tracking.

This ensures that contributions remain purpose-driven and aligned with the donor's intended healthcare impact.

Donor-funded equipment will be owned and governed by Sughavazhvu Healthcare.

This ensures that philanthropic assets remain under the Section 8 not-for-profit structure and are used for their intended charitable purpose of strengthening cancer care access.

No.

Donor and CSR contributions under this proposal are intended specifically for critical oncology and imaging equipment through Sughavazhvu Healthcare.

Excel Healthcare is a separate entity developing and operating the hospital infrastructure. Donor-funded equipment will remain under Sughavazhvu Healthcare's ownership, governance and reporting framework.

This structure ensures that philanthropic contributions are directed toward patient-care capacity and are not diverted for unrelated commercial use.

Equipment procurement will follow a structured and documented process.

This may include technical evaluation, vendor quotations, cost comparison, approvals, tender or purchase order documentation, installation timelines and commissioning records.

Relevant procurement and utilization documentation may be shared with donors as part of the agreed reporting framework.

The institution will follow NABH-aligned quality and patient safety standards, supported by qualified clinical teams, standard operating protocols, equipment calibration, safety systems, treatment planning processes and periodic clinical review.

Radiation and imaging equipment will be operated in accordance with applicable regulatory and safety requirements, including relevant AERB and equipment-specific protocols.

The institution will also work towards NABH accreditation as part of its commitment to safe, ethical and patient-centred care.

Donors may partner in two ways:

Both routes can be structured in alignment with donor governance, CSR requirements and project timelines.

Yes. Structured contributions may be considered based on procurement milestones, project timelines and donor requirements.

However, timely funding commitments are important because oncology equipment involves defined purchase, delivery, installation and commissioning schedules.

A phased structure can be discussed where it supports both donor governance and project readiness.

International contributions will be accepted only in accordance with applicable Indian regulations.

Since the FCRA process is currently underway, foreign contributions will be reviewed only after confirming the legally compliant route available at that stage.

Yes.

Donor recognition may be structured in alignment with the donor's philanthropic intent and contribution level.

Potential recognition opportunities may include naming rights for major contributions, equipment-level recognition, legacy acknowledgement and periodic impact reporting linked to long-term healthcare impact.

Sughavazhvu Healthcare can provide relevant statutory, governance and project documents for donor due diligence, subject to internal approval.

These may include Section 8 details, 80G, 12AB, CSR-1 registration, project information, equipment requirements, proposed utilization framework, reporting commitments, regulatory progress and other relevant documents required by CSR or institutional donors.

Sughavazhvu Healthcare offers donors an opportunity to create long-term, measurable healthcare impact through a compliant Section 8 not-for-profit platform.

The partnership combines a clear regional need, protected donor-funded assets, transparent reporting, clinical infrastructure support from Excel Healthcare and a mission to improve access to cancer care for underserved communities.

By partnering with Sughavazhvu Healthcare, donors help build permanent cancer care capacity for Tamil Nadu.

By supporting critical oncology and imaging equipment, donors help create a permanent regional cancer care institution that can serve patients for years to come.

This partnership enables earlier diagnosis, timely treatment, reduced travel burden and improved continuity of care for thousands of families.

It is an opportunity to build a lasting healthcare legacy for Tamil Nadu.

Cancer incidence figures are based on ICMR-NCRP estimates shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Population catchment is based on Census 2011 regional aggregation.

All project timelines, equipment requirements and contribution structures are subject to internal approval, procurement planning and applicable regulatory compliance.