Create awareness on cancer, a programme soon in the region

Create awareness on cancer, a programme soon in the region

Mangalore Today News Network

July 18, 2016: The Health Department is coming up with a programme to enhance awareness on different kinds of cancers at grassroots level. Asha and anganwadi workers would be trained for the purpose.

Udupi DSO, District Surveillance Officer Dr Vasudeva told media that the government has declared cancer prevention as a priority project and has initiated a planning process that would culminate in the transformation of the National Cancer Control Programme into a national agency. Accordingly, cancer is a component under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS), he added.  The Health Department is putting together a programme to improve awareness on different kinds of cancers at grassroots level. Asha and anganwadi workers are to be trained for the purpose.

The department has tied up with Yenepoya Hospital, Mangaluru, to get resource persons and awareness materials. The project is being designed to cover Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu and Udupi districts. However, Udupi would be covered under the pilot project in the first phase.Intensive training would be given to Asha and anganwadi workers for the implementation of the programme.

Head of the Department of Yenepoya Hospital Community Medicine Dr Abhay Nirgude said 50 sessions would be organised with 50 each in single batch. The 50 members (Asha and anganwadi workers) would be split into smaller groups for rigorous training.  The training centres would be CHCs, Community Health Centres spread across the district.

The DSO said the training session would begin soon and focus on early diagnosis, besides offering them details on the risk factors, screening tests, treatments modules and available social security schemes for financial assistance. The same messages would be delivered to people during the awareness programme by Asha and anganwadi workers. The number of deaths due to breast, cervical and oral cancer are more. Awareness would be created on self-diagnosis frequently, he added.

Dr Vasudeva said the district administration would spend Rs 2 lakh on training sessions. There are 1,900 Asha and anganwadi workers in the district. Among them, 1,146 are anganwadi and 754 are Asha workers, he stated.