By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, May 25: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said that early detection and awareness are the best ways to fight cancer. Gogoi said this while opening a special cancer detection camp at Mohendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH in Guwahati today.
The Chief Minister asked the officials of the health department to continue with the awareness campaign for early cancer detection to arrest the high incidence of the disease in the State.
Gogoi said the State Government has accorded top priority to the health sector and initiated a host of schemes and in scaling up health infrastructure. "A sea-change has taken place in the health sector. However, the State has still miles to go on this front," he added.
Gogoi underscored the need for extending basic health care and services to the poor people, especially in the remote and far-flung areas of the State. He said steps have been initiated to tone up the health sector in terms of improvement of infrastructure, strengthening the number of doctors and paramedical staff by filling up of vacant posts, making available medicine and others. In the same breathe, he pointed out that all health-related problems would be taken up in right earnest.
Gogoi said though medical science has made remarkable advancement, the prevalence of cancer and other diseases has been on the rise due to climate change, pollution, adulteration of food and sedentary life-style.
Gogoi announced that radiation facilities would be made available for cancer patients at Jorhat, Tezpur and Barpeta Medical Colleges soon. He directed the health authorities to press into service mobile vans for early detection of cancer, particularly in remote areas.
Speaking on the occasion, State Health Minister Dr. zrul Islam said special camps were being organized across the State for creating awareness and early detection of oral, breast and cervical cancers in view of the growing incidence of such cases in the State. "Eighty per cent of cancer cases in Assam comprise oral, breast and cervical. Early detection through proper screening would help minimize the growing number of incidences in the State," he added.
"Awareness will help to contain cancer. Early detection is of paramount importance and it could help save lives. People afflicted with cancer-like symptoms must visit the camps and seek medical help before it is too late," he added.
Dr. Islam said the department has equipped the Assam Medical College, Gauhati Medical College, Silchar Medical College and Dr. B. Barooah Cancer Institute with latest equipment for proper diagnosis of cancer disease. He further said the coming up of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital under GMCH in the next two-three months would help considerably in early detection and cure of cancer.
Earlier, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Sanjeeva Kumar said detection of cancer at initial stage would help to arrest at least 10 to 15 per cent of mortality rate in the State.