More than one lakh women in Varanasi underwent door-to-door cancer screening by the Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Center and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital. Breast, oral, and cervical cancer screenings were conducted during the campaign.
By Tuesday one lakh women were tested by the door-to-door campaign then the program was set up in hospitals. S Rajalingam, the District Magistrate, and Himanshu Nagpal, the chief development officer, both attended the event.
In October 2021, as a part of the Indian Study for Healthy Aging (ISHA) project, the MPMMCC and HBCH began screening women for common cancers in the seven blocks of Varanasi District which includes Kashi Vidyapeeth, Sewapuri, Pindra, Harhua, Baragaon, Chiraigaon, and Araziline.
The reports state that 1,03,616 women have been screened so far out of which 3,194 women are suspected of having oral, cervical, or breast cancer during the investigation and were sent to MPMMCC and HBCH for further testing. Only eight women after testing showed cancerous symptoms and their treatment started.
According to Dr Ruchi Pathak, Project's Medical Officer, people were not willing to give the tests, only 1,03,616 of the 2,28,291 women came for their tests in the 759 camps organized. Early detection of cancer can lead to better treatment facilities and also be cured completely, says Dr Ruchi.
The DM thanked the hospital staff for their success and noted that since a cancer hospital opened in Varanasi, patients from neighborhood districts who had to travel to Mumbai and other cities can now receive treatment here.
Dr Satyajit Pradhan, Director stated that both better treatment and early detection of the disease are major aims of the hospital.
