Survivors, kin form NGO, spread cancer awareness

Hyderabad: In order to make general public including school-going children aware, an NGO, Swastava Cancer Care founded by a group of cancer survivors and those who lost their loved ones, has been conducting several awareness programmes and campaigns for different types of cancer in and across the city. This NGO aims at creating cancer awareness, early cancer detection, cancer prevention and facilitate treatment to cancer detected cases.

With the help of associations with cancer support groups and old age homes in Hyderabad and other cities in Telangana, the organisation has conducted screening for more than 50,000 senior citizens and more than 15,000 students were made aware about the cancer in Hyderabad.

The NGO has been providing funds for investigation to meet a part of the cost of medicines for those who are not covered under any government programmes. With the help of the survey created by this NGO from 2017-19, Oral cancer is high in Hyderabad.

Speaking to the Hans India, Dr Vasudeva Chaturvedi, founder and general secretary of the NGO, said "When it comes to cancer awareness, not many people know how to prevent cancer and how to detect it. It becomes difficult for the people living in rural areas to be able to purchase medicines for the cancer and then for the treatment."

The NGO has not only been organising awareness camps for the adults and elderly but also for the schoolchildren to make them aware of early cancer detection. Awareness programmes were organised for the students in the age-group of 13 to 15 years.

"Around 18% of women are aware of sanitary napkins but cannot afford it. Many girls from poor families do not know about menstrual hygiene and thus develop infections and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causing permanent damage that leads to cervical cancer at an early age," said Dr Chaturvedi.

The NGO has been conducting several cancer tests programme like liquid cytology for most suspected cases of cervical cancer, examination with breast pad for breast cancer and examination by dentists for unhealed wounds for oral cancer. Once it gets confirmed that the victim should go for further examination, they are sent to MNJ Cancer Hospital.

Senior citizens have zero tolerance and resistance to cancer in old age and such they need to be screened and any incidence needs to be identified early. Timely detection can save and prolong quality life span among senior citizens, he added.