Tirupati: Mega mass cancer screening programme to be launched soon

Tirupati: The mega mass cancer screening programme which is first-of-its-kind will soon be undertaken first in Tirupati district by the State government and later extended to other districts.

The goal is to make the State cancer free and Tirupati district was rightly chosen for the pilot project where TTD’s SVIMS and Tata’s Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care and Advanced Research (SVICCAR) have been already engaged in screening programmes in a big way through their pink buses.

As part of this mega drive, a 10-day training programme was organised for community health officers (CHO), mid-level health providers (MLHP) of the Tirupati district at Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women (SPMC-W) from July 13 to July 22. TTD EO AV Dharma Reddy, District Collector K Venkataramana Reddy, TTD JEO and SVIMS Director Sada Bhargavi and others addressed the trainees on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, TTD EO AV Dharma Reddy said that the TTD’s cancer hospital, Sri Balaji Institute of Oncology (BIO) in SVIMS is fully geared to provide treatment for all kinds of cancers with international standards of medical equipment and expertise. About seven lakh people are dying in the country every year due to cancer. Diagnosis of the disease in the first stage is crucial to provide early treatment and save the lives of cancer patients.

He also said lifestyle formats like food and exercises are crucial methods to avert cancer. The fast food and junk food culture is the main cause and that ancient knowledge embedded in Patanjali Maharshi Yoga Shastra had solutions to it. SV Vedic University will soon organise another training programme on Yoga and its solutions for cancer etc.,

EO Dharma Reddy also said cancer can be avoided by consuming organic cow-based farm products and appealed to CHOs, MLHPs to spread the awareness in villages. The TTD will set up three cancer diagnostic centres in the district along with two pink buses with all infrastructure.

District Collector Venkataramana Reddy said preliminary estimates revealed that 10 per cent of the district population is cancer prone and hence efforts are made to take cancer screening to every doorstep and provide treatment. He said in coordination with SVICCAR, SVIMS and district administration training modules of screening and treatment were prepared. The Collector urged everyone to strive to make Tirupati district cancer free. SVIMS Director and TTD JEO Sada Bhargavi said the TTD has plans to set up permanent diagnostic centres at Gudur, Srikalahasti and Chandragiri and that the programme has full support of Chief secretary Dr K S Jawahar Reddy, TTD Chairman and EO. She asked the CHOs and MLHPs to ensure all village women undergo early screening for treatment.

Principal of SPMC-W Dr Saran B Singh, Dr Nagaraj, Dr Jayachandra Reddy, SVIMS Registrar Dr B Aparna, DM&HO Dr U Sreehari, Dr Srinivasarao, Dr PA Chandrasekaran and others were present.