Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation and News18 Network recently held a national convention under the second phase of their ‘Sanjeevani: United Against Cancer’ campaign. The convention, held in partnership with Tata Trusts, brought together key stakeholders, industry leaders, and top officials to discuss the importance of cancer awareness and early detection.

In India, cancer ranks as the third highest globally, with nearly 15 lakh cases annually, underscoring the need for initiatives like Sanjeevani, which focuses on building partnerships to create awareness, the news network said in a press release.

During a fireside chat, Bollywood actor and Sanjeevani’s National Ambassador Vidya Balan shared her personal motivation for joining the campaign: “The fear around cancer blinds us to the reality that regular screening can make all the difference.” She emphasized that early detection helped a loved one recover, inspiring her to encourage people to undergo timely screenings.

Federal Bank CEO KVS Manian highlighted the importance of healthcare in building a “Swasthya Bharat” (Healthy India), aligning it with the bank’s CSR priorities. He noted that early cancer detection is crucial and that raising awareness is “the most challenging, yet essential, goal to achieve.” Manian described Sanjeevani as “a movement to empower individuals to take charge of their health,” emphasizing the need for collective effort in promoting cancer screenings and prevention.

Siddharth Sharma, CEO of Tata Trusts, discussed the organization’s commitment to affordable, accessible cancer care. As Sanjeevani’s knowledge partner, Tata Trusts aims to keep audiences informed on cancer prevention and the importance of early detection to alleviate India’s cancer burden.

Avinash Kaul, CEO of Network18 and MD of A+E Networks, expressed the network’s dedication to raising awareness. He called Sanjeevani “our flagship campaign,” and shared that its reach has expanded to over 600 million viewers, with 13 million interactions on social media, underscoring its impact.

Through Sanjeevani: United Against Cancer, Federal Bank and News18 Network, along with Tata Trusts, aim to inspire a nationwide movement for regular cancer screenings and early diagnosis, essential to improving health outcomes and creating lasting positive change in cancer awareness across India.