By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, June 13: An awareness conference on breast, oral, lung and gastrointestil cancer was organized at Guwahati Press Club by the Breast Cancer Patients' Benefit Foundation (BCPBF) today.
The conference highlighted the increasing rate of cancer among the tobacco users in the Northeast and discussed to organize a free cancer screening programme for the people of the state. Founder BCPBF president Sameer Kaul said: "About 27 per cent of total population of the Northeast, which is 45.5 million according to 2011 census, are heavy users of tobacco. According to tiol Cancer Registry Programme, districts like Darrang, Kamrup, Dibrugarh, Barpeta and lbari of the state have highest incidence of cancer. Data based on a study of six cancer registries revealed that Assam has the highest incidence of esophageal cancer. Therefore, we need to aware the people of rural and urban areas of the state about the disease and inform them how to take precautions before the disease can attack them." Kaul also said: "We are planning to arrange some awareness and cancer screening programmes in rural and urban areas of the State, especially for the poor who do not get any facilities for treatment, in collaboration with local NGOs and other social organizations. We also have some demands to be fulfilled by the government sector like to arrange free comprehensive cancer treatment for the BPL patients all over the country, cancer health insurance to be assured to all Indian citizens, initiate cancer screening programmes uniformly across the country, palliative care for the patients etc."