Lalit Modi, the colourful scion to the $3 billion Modi Enterprise, chose Lisbon, Portugal’s hilly capital of beaches, castles, salty Atlantic air and cobblestone streets, for his wife’s breast cancer surgery.
Portugal is an intriguing choice over the MD Anderson Cancer Research or the Mayo Clinic in the US, the National Cancer Centre in Singapore, The Royal Marsden Hospital in London or any of the exemplary facilities in France.
Turns out “The Champalimaud Center for the Unknown”, where Minal Modi is getting treated for advanced stage breast cancer, is a premier medical institute in Lisbon attracting enough medical tourism to boost Portugal’s economy by 5%.
Battle With Advanced Breast Cancer
Minal Modi, 9 years older to the maverick Lalit Modi, is suffering from end-stage breast cancer. Reportedly, the disease was detected in the early stages around 12 years ago. At that time, the Modis shifted to Bel Air, one of the poshest suburbs in Los Angeles, for her treatment.
According to sources, she is currently in a very fragile state with her cancer having metastasised, i.e., travelled through the bloodstream to create tumours elsewhere.
Given her long battle with the dreaded disease, Minal Modi has looked at various treatment options in multiple continents through the last decade.
Before Lisbon, she was reportedly seeking treatment in Israel till 2012 which boasts of exceptional cancer research. Israel has top-notch invention labs and has pioneered 5 remarkable medical devices to treat and diagnose breast cancer at a very early stage. These devices are used by most American and European cancer hospitals.
Lisbon for Cancer Treatment
“The Champalimaud Center for the Unknown”, which was established 5 years ago with a huge donation of 500 million euros from the richest man in Portugal, has put the country at the forefront of cancer treatment in Europe.
The Center’s Neurosurgery and Breast Cancer departments employ the finest brains of Europe and are slowly gaining a reputation for being the pioneers of cutting edge treatment. Oncologists at the Center started using very advanced radio-surgery, with precision of up to a millimetre, two years before surgeons in the Cleveland Clinic in the US tried it out. This non-invasive technique speeds up the cure of cancer tumours in just a couple of sessions.
Within 5 years, this hospital has received advanced stage cancer patients from over 80 countries, partly because of the alternative therapies they keep trying on patients.
End stage cancer patients don’t respond well to traditional treatment and are often not in a state to be subjected to chemotherapy and radiation. In such a scenario, well researched alternative therapies are needed to shrink the cancer and relieve symptoms.
Mrs Minalini Modi sought medical advice and care at our Institution following failure of multiple lines of treatment performed elsewhere. Since November 2012, the patient has received four procedures for potentially life-threatening conditions, which in all cases required a thorough assessment of the cost/benefit ratio.
– Prof Carlo Greco, Director of Clinical Research ,Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Champalimaud Foundation to Open a Cancer Hospital in Rajasthan
On 2nd October 2014, the Lisbon based Champalimaud Foundation signed an agreement with the Government of Rajasthan to establish a state-of-the-art cancer institute with world-class facilities in the state.
The hospital will be spread over 35,000 square metres of land allotted by the state government and will offer affordable cancer care to patients.
It has now come to light that this was done in the presence of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
Interestingly, Minal Modi underwent surgery for breast cancer in August 2014 in Lisbon and two months later the same foundation signed an MoU with the Vasundhara Raje government.
Coincidence?
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)