Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Health Minister Alo Libang on Saturday divulged that a full-fledged cancer hospital is in the offing which would help make Arunachal ‘a cancer-free state’.
“A full-fledged cancer hospital with requisite staff and technologies is in the pipeline, and I am sure, we will soon have our own cancer hospital to make Arunachal Pradesh a cancer-free state,” said Libang.
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating the three-day cancer detection and awareness camp at St Claret College auditorium at Ziro in Lower Subansiri district in presence of local MLA cum Agriculture Minister Tage Taki and other dignitaries.
The camp was organized by the State Cancer Society of Arunachal Pradesh, Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, and the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast in collaboration with Lower Subansiri District Administration and the District Health Society, official sources said.
The Health Minister also informed that similar camps would be held in Papum Pare and Pasighat where “cancer cases are also high”. He assured to take up with the state government the demand of Tani Supun Dukung (TSD), the Apatani apex body, for construction of a 10-bedded tertiary cancer hospital at Gyati Takka General Hospital (GTGH), Ziro.
Endorsing the TSD demand, Taki appealed to the Health Minister to depute a team to study and research the ‘food habits’ and ‘water content’ of Ziro valley to ascertain if there was any direct relation between them and cancer.
Pointing out that 33 percent of total cancer patients go outside the state for their treatments, former health advisor to the North Eastern Council (NEC) Dr Bamin Tada also endorsed the need of a full-fledged cancer hospital in the state and a 10-bedded tertiary care cancer hospital at GTGH. “An extensive research needs to be carried out to find out the causes of rising cancer cases at Apatani plateau,” opined Dr Tada.
Director of B Borooah Cancer Institute, Dr BB Borthakur said incidences of cancer are different at different stages. Cancer is curable provided it is detected early during its pre-cancerous stage, he said.
While informing that ‘stomach cancer’ was the most prevalent form of cancer in Lower Subansiri district, Dr Borthakur said cancer cases were rising in the country. “It is 300 per one lakh population in the country while it is 1 in 35 persons in Papum Pare district,” he informed.
Advocating the ‘handholding approach’ to decimate the scourge of cancer, Dr Borthakur underlined the important roles of community leaders, NGOs and social media in educating people about early signs of cancer and to induce them to come forward for diagnosis and treatments. Without people coming forward for detection and diagnosis, it is difficult to fight against cancer, he said.
Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner Bamin Nime and District Medical Officer Dr Nani Rika also spoke on the occasion.
A total of 1251 persons registered for the free cancer detection test, for which two cancer screening vans were pressed into service. Upper GI endoscopy was done on 281 persons, Ultrasonography to 432 persons, cervical cancer screening to 214 persons, breast cancer screening to 269 females, oral cancer screening to 494 persons and viral markers done to 546 persons. While 10 cases of suspected cancer were detected yesterday, another 12 cases were detected today whose results are awaited, officials said.
