Call for health emergency amid rising cancer cases
Rajamahendravaram: In the wake of alarming rise in cancer cases in Balabhadrapuram village of Bikkavole mandal, Anaparthi MLA Nallamilli Ramakrishna Reddy demanded that the state government declare a health emergency in the region.
Speaking at a press conference at Rajahmundry Press Club on Saturday, the MLA alleged that toxic pollutants released from the nearby KPR Fertilizer plant were the primary cause behind the surge in cancer cases. He stressed the urgent need to conduct cancer screening tests for every resident of the village. Ramakrishna Reddy revealed that due to the seriousness of the situation, the issue had been raised in the state Assembly. Though the state government and district administration had decided to depute medical teams to conduct door-to-door screening, the district medical and health officer (DM&HO) shockingly declared that there were no cancer cases in the area, he lamented.
He criticised the DM&HO’s statement, pointing out that it was made without any scientific tests, likely based on outdated records from the local primary health centre (PHC). However, later tests revealed 32 confirmed cancer cases, which is reportedly double the national average, he said.
Ramakrishna Reddy further added that a team from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada conducted screening for 1,295 residents in Balabhadrapuram and confirmed 62 cancer cases, nearly six times the national average. He warned that with a total population of around 10,000 in the village, the number of cases could be significantly higher if comprehensive testing is carried out.
The BJP MLA strongly condemned what he described as conspiracies by YSRCP leaders to block cancer screenings. “Their excuse is that exposing too many cases could damage land values and marriage prospects in the area,” he said. Ramakrishna Reddy expressed outrage that former MLA and doctor Dr Satti Suryanarayana Reddy was spreading such narratives on social media.
“Are land prices more important than people’s lives and health?” he said .
He also noted with concern that a majority of the cancer cases were breast cancer, particularly affecting women working as daily-wage labourers.
He demanded that screening be extended to surrounding villages also, which have a combined population of another 10,000 people.
Ramakrishna Reddy has criticised officials from the Pollution Control Board, that they were not in a position to respond to the questions posed by him regarding the alarming pollution levels.