Man diagnosed with cancer during office health checkup forced to quit: Corporate manager shares shocking workplace experience

Santosh Patole who worked as senior manager in a multinational company went for a mandatory health check up organised by his organisation in May 2025. His reports were haywire and when he consulted the doctor, he got the shock of his life-he had thyroid cancer. The tumour had been silently building up in his body since last one-and a half years. His treatment began and he went for an immediate surgery. Thankfully, his treatment was covered by the company’s medical insurance policy.However, while Santosh was processing the diagnosis and was undergoing a difficult line of treatment, he was accosted with another sock. His employer asked him to leave in July 2025. “It came as a shock to me! I did not know what went wrong as I had a strong professional track record with consistent outstanding performance, multiple promotions, bonuses, and recognition awards during my tenure.”

Santosh, who was already struggling with the shock of his cancer diagnosis, was devastated by this new development. After taking three to four days to process everything, he finally wrote an email to the company asking them to state the reasons for his termination. When he did not receive any reply for almost a month, he sent a legal notice. “I was then called to the office and told that there were some anomalies in my work, but they were not able to give any concrete evidence or explanation. My question was: why was I not informed about it earlier, and was I the signing or approving authority? They did not have any concrete answers.”“All I wanted was for the company to take me back because I really needed the job at that point, and I was in a position to work. But despite my several pleas, they did not budge. When I posted on my LinkedIn that I intended to go on a hunger strike, they contacted me again—but only to stop the strike from happening. They were not willing to give me any written assurance.”

“There seemed to be no end to my miseries. I went on the hunger strike, but on the fifth day I had to forcibly end it because of my deteriorating health.”However, his protest gained public attention and media coverage, and it highlighted a serious gap in workplace protection laws in India concerning medical discrimination against employees suffering from critical illnesses such as cancer.“It reflects a systemic gap in Indian labour and employment laws, where there is no clear statutory mechanism addressing discrimination against employees undergoing serious medical conditions such as cancer or other critical illnesses. While India has enacted the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 which created an internal complaint mechanism (POSH) to address workplace harassment, no similar institutional mechanism exists to address medical discrimination at workplaces.” says Santosh.

Employees suffering from serious illnesses often face sudden termination, forced resignations, lack of grievance redressal mechanisms in private organizations which often arbitrarily take action. A serious legislative intervention is required to ensure job and social security for employees working in private sector.Santosh, despite struggling with joblessness and cancer is fighting another battle. He is putting in all his efforts to introduce a Private Member Bill addressing medical discrimination at workplaces in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Parliament of India. He sincerely feels that legislators should raise the issue through a Zero Hour question to highlight the urgent need for policy reform. The proposed legislative approach seeks to establish a POSH-like institutional mechanism to: Prevent discrimination against employees undergoing serious medical treatment provide a structured grievance redressal process Ensure fair employment practices and protection of livelihood during medical crises dignity and health protection.

Santosh Patole’s story highlights the misery of many white-collar professionals who spend years strengthening the backbone of corporations, only to be treated with ruthless indifference when they are no longer considered convenient. In many cases, employees are pushed out for cheaper replacements or at moments when they are most vulnerable—such as during serious medical emergencies. It is a troubling narrative that exposes the imbalance of power between corporations and their workers. Stories like Santosh’s raise important questions about accountability, employee protection, and corporate ethics—issues that policymakers and governments must address to ensure that dignity and security at the workplace are not just promises, but realities.