Soumen Das, Head of Department of Surgical Oncology at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Cancer Hospital, CEO and Co-Founder at ArrowsUP LLP, and Co-Founder at Specifixon Healthcare, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I still remember that day in 2018 at SSKM Hospital, Kolkata.
After returning from Los Angeles with training in Advanced Cancer Surgery, we performed the first HIPEC surgery in a government hospital in Bengal. Organising such a complex procedure in a government setup at that time was extremely challenging. Resources were limited, systems were not ready, and every step demanded persistence. But with the support of a few committed people, we could make it happen.
Later, after moving to a private setup, we were able to establish a dedicated Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Program with HIPEC and PIPAC services. However, one challenge always remained — cost.
Like many LMICs, access to advanced cancer technology often becomes difficult because of affordability.
My mind has always searched for low-cost, high-quality innovations that can make advanced cancer care more accessible.
After nearly five years of research and development, we could finally come up with our own HIPEC machine — SUNVA.
‘SUN‘ — the source of all energy
‘VA‘ — inspired by Bharat (India)
A machine designed with the vision of delivering affordable, high-quality HIPEC therapy from India to the world.
SUNVA has successfully passed its initial quality tests. Fingers crossed — hopefully we will soon be able to launch this indigenous HIPEC platform and take another small step toward making advanced cancer care more accessible across LMICs.
Innovation from India.
Built for global cancer care.”
Other articles featuring Soumen Das on OncoDaily.
