Cancer screening to take a big leap in Tirupati dist

Tirupati: In line with the state government’s initiative to fight against the cancer disease, the district administration has been swiftly moving forward with various steps to take vigorous campaign on screening camps. It first wants to train the ANMs and mid-level health providers (MLHP) working under the limits of 691 secretariats in the district to take the task forward. The programme was first planned in Tirupati district. In this mammoth task, the government is working in association with SVIMS and Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care and Advanced Research (SVICCAR) in Tirupati to conduct screening camps at the doorstep of villagers.

The programme will first commence from July 10 in which the ANMs and MLHPs will be trained for 15 days on identifying the cancer symptoms, taking the family history to know whether they are prone to genetic risks. They will also have practical training at hospitals by observing the patients.

District Collector K Venkata Ramana Reddy conducted a review meeting also on the programme with doctors and voluntary organisations on Friday and instructed the officials to implement the screening programme in a foolproof manner. Women above the age of 30 years should be given first priority in the screening.

District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr U Sreehari told The Hans India that after the training programme, ANMs and MLHPs will take part in the screening programme at village level and enter the data in an app which is being developed by the state government. The details of symptomatic people, high-risk groups etc., will be entered in the app which will reflect in the dashboard. The mandals in the district are allotted to both SVIMS and SVICCAR.

Based on the field level data entered in the app, the teams of SVIMS and SVICCAR will go to concerned villages in their areas with pink buses and conduct further tests for oral, cervical and breast cancers. Patients who are tested positive for the cancer, will be treated at their hospitals and if needed surgeries or chemotherapies or radiotherapies will be done.

It may be recalled here that SVIMS has been conducting cancer screening camps for the last five years through its pink bus campaign while SVICCAR also has been conducting it for over two years. Now, the state government wants to take it forward towards achieving the goal of a cancer-free state.