Puducherry: The Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) of the centrally funded premier medical institution JIPMER planned to hold camps in villages to create awareness on
various methods for early detection of cancer, an official said today.
The role of rural and semi-urban camps became important as potential patients could be identified and ailments detected`at the early stage, RCC Head of the Department of Radiotherapy.
Dr K S Reddy told reporters on the sidelines of a one-day Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme on `Epithelial Ovarian malignancies` here.
He said already two such camps were held in Karaikal. RCC would be glad if voluntary organizations and local leaders of public opinion came forward and acted as facilitators with the the cancer centre to hold the camps.
The role of camps assume significance as patients developing symptoms of cancer would not feel it in the initial stages and sought medical help only in almost advanced stages,
he said.
JIPMER was getting every year around 3,500 new cancer cases referred to it from various health providers in and outside Puducherry and from neighbouring states.
Dr Reddy said that there was also necessity for each and every health institution to provide cancer registries. Presently only five metropolitan cities in the country had the
registries. He also felt that cancer be made a `notifiable disease`.
Earlier, acting director of JIPMER Dr Ananthanarayanan inaugurated the CME programme and stressed on sustained endeavours to generate awareness among the people so that the occurrence of the disease could be nipped in the bud.
PTI
