Kanpur: A tragic incident unfolded at the Government JK Cancer Institute in Kanpur after a cancer patient allegedly ended his life due to financial hardship. The man, identified as 50-year-old Rakesh Kumar, reportedly took the extreme step by hanging himself with his mother’s saree inside the hospital ward late last night.
According to police sources from the Swaroop Nagar police station, Kumar’s body has been sent for postmortem, and further investigation into the incident is underway.
Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Sikandra in the Kanpur countryside, was a farmer by profession. He had been undergoing treatment for oral cancer at the JK Cancer Institute for the past two years under the supervision of Dr. Archana Singh. His son, Ansh Kumar, revealed that the family had exhausted their financial resources in the process, having spent over ₹2.5 lakh—mostly through loans—on his treatment. With no money left for ongoing chemotherapy and medication, Kumar reportedly became despondent.
Family members say the burden of the mounting medical expenses and the inability to afford further treatment led him to take his own life. His death has left the family—wife Kiran Devi, son Ansh, daughter Gauri, and elderly mother Mahadevi—devastated.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suicide. The incident has once again drawn attention to the immense financial strain faced by economically disadvantaged patients undergoing long-term medical care.
