Awareness on breast cancer to be expanded in rural areas

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Breast cancer is a very serious and sensitive health issue, and to spread awareness about it in rural areas, all medical officers, community health officers, health workers, and ASHA volunteers will be actively involved, said district maternal and child welfare officer Dr. Vishal Bendre.

He emphasized that every woman must undergo breast cancer screening and diagnosis at least once a year.

With the objective of raising awareness about breast cancer, its symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures at all levels, a special awareness program was organized on Saturday under the ‘ASHAchhaya’ initiative, launched by the Mahatma Gandhi Mission.

During the event, Padma Shri Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Dr. Kailas Sharma, and Dr. Pravin Suryawanshi provided guidance through a televised session. They spoke about the early symptoms of breast cancer, the importance of timely diagnosis, and the significant role of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in early detection and management.

Program directors Dr. Aruna Karad and Dr. Ashutosh Tondare interacted with attending officers and staff, discussing the continuing lack of awareness about cancer in society, necessary preventive measures, and the changes needed to address the issue effectively.

Dr. Bendre further shared that the HPV vaccine will become available next month and that it is highly effective in preventing cervical cancer. He added that extensive awareness campaigns will also be conducted on this topic.

Present on the occasion were additional district health officer Dr. Nagesh Savargaonkar, Dr. P. M. Jadhav, Dr. Rajendra Bohra, Dr. Arvind Gaikwad, as well as tehsil health officers, women medical officers, female community health officers, taluka group organizers, and a large number of ASHA supervisors and volunteers from across the district.