Varanasi: In addition to observing World Cancer Day (February 4) to create awareness about cancer and encourage prevention, detection, and care, there is also a need to introduce cancer in the school curriculum, said the Head of Radiotherapy Department and Radiation Medicine, Medical Institute, University of Banaras Hindu , Prof.
Sunil Choudhary.
The mantra ‘Prevention is better than cure’ can be truly driven by a routine awareness program that he said, ‘catch them young’ by introducing one or two chapters about cancer in the school curriculum can prove to be useful.
Profof Choudhary said that the increasing incidence of cancer globally must be a matter of concern for each country and its government.
In the near future, at least one member in each family tends to suffer from non-communicable but fatal diseases.
It brutally attacks patients as well as members of their family and causes physical, mental, social and financial setbacks.
Western countries are able to handle this threat in a better way because better health facilities and health insurance for all and government prevention programs and well-planned screening.
“On this world cancer day, we need to find out and try to find out the trap of our health system,” he said, adding that cancer filtering in high-risk groups is known to produce early cancer detection.
Therefore, the cancer screening program must be made mandatory by the government.
One of the most important approaches is to build and strengthen medical facilities for cancer management.
He said that the World Health Organization recommended at least one telherapy unit per million populations which meant that India must have at least 1,400 units of TELETHER against 762 units available, mostly in metropolitan cities and private hospitals.
To improve the scenario of each district must have a medical college with a comprehensive cancer center with advanced facilities for diagnosis and treatment of all types of cancer, said Prof.
Choudhary.
The government must improve facilities in the existing cancer centers, he said adding that the state must have an apex cancer center with ultra-modern facilities for cancer management, facilities for research, training and conduct multi-institutional clinical trials.
Each institute must have an academic program to produce trained cancer specialists.
Tumor boards must be formed in every cancer wing to offer the best and evidence-based maintenance.
According to Prof.
Choudhary, AIDS The government must reach everyone who needs without causing delays in managing diseases.
Palliative care centers with hospitals must be part of each of the comprehensive cancer centers to offer the best support for cancer patients who are seriously ill, they add, while government policies for procurement and use of opiod like morphine must be relaxed to make themes accessible.
Euthanasia’s problem, intentional practice to end life to relieve pain and suffering, must be read back by the government because it is still illegal in India.
She says.
Radiotherapy department and radiation medicine Bhu has one linear accelerator, two telecobalt units, brachytherapy HDR and conventional x-ray simulators and do not have high-end linear simulator and linear accelerators with image-guided radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy facilities.
“The proposal for the same thing has been sent to a higher authority.
The department has also proposed to start two new courses to meet the demands of the best human resources,” he said.