Mumbai, 23 October 2026: Ronald McDonald House India has completed 10 years of supporting children undergoing cancer treatment and their families, helping thousands stay together through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. The milestone was marked yesterday at India’s first Ronald McDonald House in Mahim, Mumbai, which also celebrated its first anniversary of providing families with a free place to stay close to the hospital while their children receive treatment.
Over the past decade, Ronald McDonald House India has supported more than 39,000 children and family members through its Family Rooms and House programmes, ensuring families can remain close to their child throughout treatment.
Beyond providing comfort, this support has played an important role in strengthening family-centred care in paediatric oncology. At a time when treatment abandonment has historically been one of the greatest challenges in childhood cancer care in developing countries, with rates reported to be as high as 60%, Ronald McDonald House India has worked to remove practical barriers that often force families to discontinue treatment midway.
When the first Ronald McDonald Family Room attached to the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology opened in 2016, treatment dropout rates among children with cancer were reported to be above 40–50%. Today, treatment abandonment has reduced to less than 5%. Among the many factors contributing to this improvement has been the establishment of the Family Room, which helps families stay close to their children and remain engaged throughout the treatment journey.
Further, since opening in October 2025 at Mahim, the House has served 74 families, provided nearly 48,000 meals, enabled more than 5,000 overnight stays, delivered 45 psychosocial support sessions, and facilitated over 300 hospital transfers, all at no cost to families.
Smita Jatia, Chairperson, Ronald McDonald House India, spent time with parents staying at the House, listening to them speak about their children’s treatment and what it has meant to have a place to stay close by. The gathering also paid tribute to the House’s support staff, whose care, day and night, helps families through some of the hardest days of their lives.
Smita Jatia, Chairperson, Ronald McDonald House India, said, “A child’s illness affects the entire family, and I have always believed that supporting the child means standing beside the family too. For me, this work has never been just about providing a room or a bed; it is about helping parents stay close to their children, find strength in difficult moments and remain involved in their care. That belief has driven us since the first Family Room opened, and it continues to shape what we want to build for families across India. We have come a long way in 10 years, but there is still much more to do, and that is what keeps us committed to this mission.”
“As India strengthens childhood cancer and pediatric healthcare services, ensuring that families can remain close to their children during treatment must become an essential part of the care ecosystem,” added Jatia.
Many of these families travel hundreds of kilometres from across the country for treatment that can last weeks or months, leaving behind work, homes and often their other children, with many arriving with nowhere to stay. Global research increasingly highlights the importance of family-centred care, showing that when parents can stay close to their hospitalized child, they are better able to participate in care, experience lower stress, and contribute positively to the child’s treatment experience
Ronald McDonald House India’s journey began in 2016 with the country’s first Ronald McDonald Family Room at Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai. A second Family Room was launched in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2024, followed by the opening of the Mahim House in 2025, providing free accommodation, meals, transportation, counselling support and a home-like environment for families undergoing prolonged medical treatment.
Looking ahead, Ronald McDonald House India aims, by 2030, to serve over 5,000 families every year through at least five Ronald McDonald Houses and three Family Rooms across five cities, working alongside at least five leading paediatric hospitals and a growing community of volunteers. It will measure its progress by whether children are able to complete their treatment, whether families are spared financial hardship, and how well they are supported emotionally along the way. Behind all of it is the aim of making family-centred care the standard in India, so that when a child needs care, their family can stay by their side.