Saving lives globally with a computer science degree while sitting in Boston is Gitika Srivastava, and there are many who can vouch for her. How is Srivastava doing it?

Srivastava the founder and creator for Navya, a web portal that brings together India's best oncologists on one platform for patients and their families seeking expert opinion. Since its launch, the website has helped people from over 22 countries, including those from South East Asia and Africa.

Navya's operations are based in India's IT city Bengaluru, and has oncologists on board from across the world. The clinical informatics and patient services organisation helps cancer patients get an expert opinion on cancer diagnosis and decide the treatment option best for them, taking their location into consideration.

The web portal was founded in 2010 by Srivastava, inspired from a personal experience. "In 2007 someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, I spent most of my waking hours researching for treatment options. Living in Boston, I realised I was extremely privileged as I had access to technology and several experts. I couldn't help but think of the many people across the world who didn't have this kind of access. I wanted to do something about that," she said.

Considering her background in computer science, Srivastava and her friend, Dr Naresh Ramarajan realised that technology and informatics was the way to go, she says.

"We wanted to take Dr Badwe's (Dr Rajendra Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Centre) mind from one centre in Mumbai across the world. We wanted to see if we could build a system that can think like an oncologist," says Srivastava.

Anyone can register on Navya, which is a non-profit. For Rs 6,500, they get you an e-consult you need, and the team hopes to bring down this cost soon, as more people use it. The fee is waived for those with a BPL (below poverty line) card, Srivastava tells us. All you have to do is upload your reports and the queries. An analytical system devised by the Navya team organises the reports submitted by patients or their caregivers, which are then sent to top oncologists for an opinion.

It takes as little as a few hours to a maximum of three days for the entire process without the patient having to leave home, as Goa's Panaji resident Cheryl D'souza recently learned. The 27-year-old and her family were under extreme stress when they were informed by the doctor that her mother had cancer but the doctors couldn't confirm if it was stomach cancer or ovarian.

"We took a few opinions, and ordered a repeat preview biopsy which would take another 14 days," Cheryl said. Time was of the essence since her mother's cancer was already stage IV, and not in a condition to travel to consult doctors. Cheryl then turned to Navya. "This happened in November 2016. I uploaded my mother's reports on the website. An hour later a person from the firm called me and asked me a few questions. The next morning I received a report from a medical oncology expert at Tata Memorial Centre confirming that the reports were consistent with ovarian cancer. They also gave me the treatment options," she said. Cheryl's mother was advised to proceed with chemotherapy in Goa.

Navya tied up with the National Cancer Grid (NCG), a Tata Memorial Centre initiative spearheaded by Dr CS Pramesh, a surgical oncologist. NCG connects 96 cancer hospitals and research centres, and now patients can have access to them via navya.care

At the doctor's end, who are on board as consultants with Navya, the patient's reports appear on an app, and the doctors respond in little as 24 hours.

Srivastava says, "Navya is an expert system which uses technology and data to make intelligent treatment decisions for the patient. We have patients who can't afford certain treatments or can't travel to certain places so the options given to them are customised to their needs. Patient preference is a big part of the process."

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