Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghunathan on Friday inaugurated an AI-based music therapy for cancer patients at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC). The initiative has been taken up in collaboration with DigiNxtHlt to support cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. 

Though music was a powerful medium, its therapeutic potential has not been explored yet, Ms. Raghunathan said, and called APCC’s venture a trailblazer. As music is an integral part of our culture, with every raga and note creating hope and promise for a better tomorrow, the AI-based music therapy will help in creating a soothing environment for the cancer patients, she added. During the inaugural function, she sang Kurai Ondrum Illai.

Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises, lauded the clinicians for thinking beyond the realm of medicine to enhance the lives of the cancer patients. Sujith Kumar Mullapally, Consultant-Medical Oncologist, APCC, said the music therapy — approved by the Apollo Ethics Committee and the Clinical Trials Registry — has been carried out on cancer patients who were willing to receive the therapy.

Sujatha Visweswara, CEO and Co-Founder of Echo Care, said the AI-driven therapy has been designed to provide a “personalised soundscape” for cancer patients. Rakesh Jalali, Medical Director, APCC, also spoke on the occasion.