Health check-up camp held at KR Constituency

Mysuru: The Managing Trustee of Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Bengaluru, Dr. B.S. Srinath cautioned that cancer patients are likely to double by 2030 in the country if proper preventive measures are not taken as per World Health Organisation (WHO) reports.

He was speaking after inaugurating a one-day free health check-up and public awareness camp, organised jointly by Asare Foundation, GSS, Safe Wheels and Vaishnavi Sweets, at Vokkaligara Samudaya Bhavan in Vidyaranyapuram here yesterday.

He said that India had 17.3 lakh cancer patients as per WHO and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data, and estimated more than 8.8 lakh deaths due to the disease by 2020 and this number is expected to double by the year 2030 as per reports.

The most common kinds of cancer cases found in India are stomach cancer (9 percent), breast cancer (8.2 percent), lung cancer (7.5 percent), lip and oral cavity cancer (7.2 percent), pharynx cancer other than nasopharynx (6.8 percent), colon and rectum cancer (5.8 percent), leukaemia (5.2 percent), and cervical   cancer (5.2 percent).

Stating that cancer is the second biggest killer in India after heart disease, he said that a  study conducted by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer had shown that cancer will claim 9.6 million lives in the world this year and India’s share in it will be a worrying 8.17 percent.

“Earlier, aged people were prone to this disease in large numbers in India, but now cancer is found in people of all age groups including children and women in recent years. Change in lifestyle and food habits like consumption of fried food item sans vegetables, fruits, fibre foods were attributed for the increase of cancer patients in the country. Cancer can be cured by early detection with treatment like chemotherapy and radiation. Prevention is the best method, Dr. Srinath said.

Presiding over the programme, Krishnaraja (KR) MLA S.A. Ramdas assured to conduct such camps every month in his constituency besides to open information centre to help the needy cancer patients to get treatment.

Stating that this was the second camp of Arogya-Mysuru organised by his Foundation for the benefit the public, he said that over 3,300 people attended the Sunday’s health camp.

Of the total 3,300 screened at the camp, 250 of them were suffering from heart problems, 100 from skin, 450 from diabetes and 70 from ENT. A total of 430 were screened with general check-up. Blood test conducted for 350 patients, 70 of them availed Ayurveda and Naturopathy treatment.

Experts from Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Hospital of Bengaluru and other 20 hospitals of the city screened the patients.  A mobile van from Shankara Research Hospital worth Rs.7 crore arrived from Bengaluru to detect the cancer cases. Blood, urine, ECG and other tests were conducted. Medicines and tablets distributed free of cost to the patients. Cancer detection camps will be held every year for the next five years in his constituency, Ramdas said.

District Brahmana Samaja President D.T. Prakash, Corporator B.V. Manjunath, former Corporator A.V. Vidya Urs, City BJP General Secretary H.V. Rajiv, President of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar Vokkaligara Sangha  Mahalingam, Dr. Lakshmi, Dr. Sheethal, Dr. Chandrashekhar, Dr. Karthik Udupa, Dr. Ravikumar, Dr. Mohan, Dr. Harini Shankar, Dr. Shadaksharaswamy, Dr. Jahnavi, Dr. Subbarao and others were present.