World Cancer Day observed in Lakhimpur

Stress laid on early detection and reducing care gap

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: The 22nd World Cancer Day was observed in a befitting manner in Lakhimpur district on Friday along with the rest of the globe. On this occasion, a public awareness meeting was organized in the conference hall of the office of the Joint Director, Lakhimpur District Health Services.

Notably, World Cancer Day is observed on February 4 every year to create awareness about the various cancers that affect people. This Day originated in 2000 at the first World Summit Against Cancer, which was held in Paris. The Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008. The event aims to prevent millions of deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and individuals to take action against the disease.

This year the theme of World Cancer Day is 'Close the Care Gap'. The theme aims to raise awareness about the vast difference in cancer care and prevention that people from different sections of society can avail. People with low income, lack of educational qualifications, and disabilities face considerable barriers in availing care for cancer.

The public awareness meeting was held under the management of Diptimoni Das, District Health Manager, ACCF, Lakhimpur, who also delivered the welcome address. Lakhimpur Medical College and Hospital Principal Dr. Anup Das, Joint Director of Lakhimpur District Health Services Dr. Jagadish Goswami, Indian Medical Association, Lakhimpur chapter president Dr. UN Dutta, SDM&HO Dr. Dhiren Saikia, Superintendent of Cancer Care Hospital, Lakhimpur, Dr. PP Ghose attended the meeting as resource persons and guest of honour.

In the meeting, Dr Anup Das said, "Cancer can occur at any age and if not detected at the right time and is not treated, it can increase the risk of death. Recent studies estimate about one out of six people worldwide die from cancer, which's more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined."

On the other hand, Dr. Jagadish Goswami said, "India ranks third among nations in terms of highest number of cancers. Over 13 lakh people in India suffer from cancers every year. Sedentary lifestyles, increase in urban pollution, in addition to rise in obesity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, are said to be the reasons behind the rise. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) estimates that there will be a 12 percent rise in cancer cases in India by the next five years. The most common forms of cancer affecting the people of India are breast cancer, cervical cancer and oral cancer." In the programme, a video on the status was also screened by ACCF.

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