Dr. Ravi Kannan, Director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Silchar (Assam) has been named as one of the four recipients of the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia’s Nobel Prize. Before that, he was a surgeon at Chennai’s Adyar Cancer Institute. Dr. Ravi Kannan is also the recipient of Padma Shri award. In its official statement, the Foundation said, “In electing Ravi Kannan to receive the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognises his devotion to his profession’s highest ideals of public services, his combination of skills, commitment, and compassion in pushing the boundaries of people-centred, pro-poor health care and cancer care, and for having built, without expectation of reward, a beacon of hope for millions in the Indian state of Assam, thus setting a shining example for all.
Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre was founded in 1996 on public donations. Dr. Kannan, previously associated with a premier Chennai-based hospital, joined CCHRC as its Director in 2007. He stimulated the entire healthcare system with his captivating thought process & as well as built up the infrastructure of the hospital. The hospital which had just 23 staff members has presently 451 doctors, paramedics, and other staff.
He identified reasons for not compliance to cancer treatment owing to long travel, poverty and fear of outcome. He overcome these issues by creating a human resource to approach to the door steps with medication, wherever not affordable he offered concessional/free treatment to the needy people. His simple interventions brought treatment compliance from 30 % to over 70%.
He stands as the sole awardee from India in this edition, a testament to his remarkable contributions to healthcare in the nation and beyond.
