A man once sat across from Dr. Pritanjali Singh shortly after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). He was frightened, not only about his health, but also about something equally important to him: how he would continue supporting his family.
Years later, he walked back into her clinic. This time, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he arrived with his head held high, a proud father with good news to share.
His treatment was working. His future looked brighter. And he wanted to tell her that his daughter had graduated from college.
For Dr. Pritanjali, these are the moments that define success.
Based in Patna, Bihar, Dr. Pritanjali Singh has spent the last 20 years caring for people living with cancer, combining scientific expertise with deep compassion. For more than 13 years, she has partnered with The Max Foundation, helping ensure that patients have access to the treatment they need to continue building their futures. Today, she supports approximately 100 patients through the program.
“No two weeks are ever the same,” she shares.
Between outpatient clinics, treatment planning, multidisciplinary tumour board meetings, teaching, research, and emergency consultations, every day brings new challenges and new opportunities to make a meaningful difference.
Working in oncology means facing realities that extend far beyond the disease itself. Many patients experience delayed diagnoses, financial hardships, long journeys to access specialized care, and the emotional weight that comes with uncertainty. Dr. Pritanjali believes that meaningful cancer care requires more than medicine. It requires teamwork, education, emotional support, and partnerships that help remove barriers to treatment.
Through her work, she has witnessed firsthand how access to treatment can change lives, allowing patients not only to survive, but to celebrate milestones they once feared they might never reach.
Ask her what keeps her motivated, and the answer is simple: seeing the impact that timely treatment, honest conversations, and compassionate care can have on a person’s life. She not only helps patients achieve remission, but also helps them feel heard, supported, and hopeful during some of life’s most difficult moments.
Outside the clinic, Dr. Pritanjali enjoys reading, painting, traveling, and participating in cancer awareness initiatives within her community. She speaks English, Hindi, and regional dialects spoken across Bihar, helping her connect with patients in the language they feel most comfortable using.
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: cancer care is about more than treating a disease. It’s about helping people reclaim their lives, their dreams, and the moments that matter most.
As Dr. Pritanjali’s story reminds us, the true impact of cancer care is measured not only in clinical outcomes, but in the lives restored and the futures made possible. Every patient who returns to celebrate a milestone, support a family, or pursue a dream is a testament to the power of timely treatment, compassionate care, and unwavering commitment.
We’re grateful to healthcare professionals like Dr. Pritanjali Singh, whose dedication, compassion, and commitment continue to make a lasting impact on the lives of patients and families living with cancer.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
Over the past several months, we have been training, fundraising, and preparing to conquer Mt. Kinabalu, and now we’re counting down the days until our team meets at the foot of the mountain for the big climb. Why climb a mountain, you might ask?
At The Max Foundation, increasing global access to treatment for people around the world living with cancer is a core element of our mission. But access to treatment is only one piece in helping all people facing cancer live with dignity and hope. Fostering care and support for patients processing the hardships of cancer is essential.
Today we remember Dr. Damira Bayzakova, a CML specialist and cancer advocate from Kyrgyzstan who passed away on November 16th 2020, due to complications with COVID-19. Dr. Bayzakova was an implementing partner for The Max Foundation since 2006, and was monumental in bringing life-saving treatment and cancer diagnostics into Kyrgyzstan. Dr. Bayzakova’s efforts to expand….
