KOLKATA: Three cancer survivors who beat the terminal disease but were left jobless and exhausted all their resources to fund their treatment were provided employment by a city private hospital on Thursday – the eve of World Cancer Day. This will help set a precedent and encourage others to employ cancer survivors who are often left without jobs and income even after they recover, said the hospital authorities who plan to employ more cancer survivors.
Former hospital employee Rima Ray, construction firm employee Bimal Saha, along with Surajit Mridha who survived on odd jobs were employed by Medica Superspecialty Hospital on Thursday. While Rima, a breast cancer survivor, will now work as a patient coordinator, Saha and Mridha have joined as housekeeping staff.
All three are looking forward to a new and bright phase after a prolonged and bitter fight against cancer in which they emerged victorious.
A former receptionist at a nursing home, Rima was diagnosed with breast cancer almost a decade ago. She had to give up her job and struggled to find another even after she had ‘recovered’ following surgeries. “I felt extremely disheartened and the fact that I had no job reminded me that I have had cancer. Now, I look forward to a return to normal life,” she said.
Saha’s world came crashing down in 2010 when he was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. After a two-year treatment at Chittaranjan Cancer Institute, during which he exhausted almost all his savings, Saha faced a more harrowing time, trying to make ends meet. He spent Rs 2 lakh on his treatment. “None gave me a job and I kept desperately searching for one. For three years till 2015, I could earn nothing. Then, I took up any odd-job that came my way to support my family but barely earned enough to survive,” recalled Saha. His life changed on Thursday, he said. “It was my dream to work in a set-up like this, particularly in a hospital,” he said.
In 2018, 28-year-old Surajit Mridha was diagnosed with a rare form of penile cancer that had him confined to bed for two years, But he recovered with treatment. “I exhausted all that I had — Rs 3 lakh — to save my life. But it seemed futile when I failed to find a job. Now, I have a second chance,” he said.
“Cancer survivors deserve employment to be self-reliant. Many find themselves in dire straits, having exhausted all their money on treatment. This gesture should inspire others to offer jobs to them,” said Medica Superspecialty director of oncology Sourav Datta.
