Maharashtra: Medical colleges to adopt 50 villages to raise awareness about breast cancer

The state government has decided to start a cancer outpatient department in every medical college to ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in women. However, each medical college will adopt 50 villages so that the women of the villages can benefit from this service. The main objective behind it is to create awareness about breast cancer among the women of the adopted village.

Considering the rising incidence of breast cancer among women, the state government has undertaken a special campaign. Accordingly, a special cancer outpatient department has been started in 49 medical colleges of the state. One day a week, breast cancer screening is conducted in this department. Each medical college has been given a target to adopt 50 villages or to screen about 20 thousand women so that the information of this initiative reaches all the women, creating awareness among them.

Medical colleges are located in urban areas. Therefore, according to the instructions given by the Minister of Medical Education, Girish Mahajan, villages will be adopted and health facilities related to breast cancer will be provided to the women in the rural areas to get treatment from the expert doctors of the medical college, as told to Loksatta by Gynecologist Dr. Tushar Palve.

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Screening target of 9,80,000 women

A total of nine lakh 80,000 women in the age group of 30 to 64 will be examined through 49 colleges in the state. The first session of inspection will last for two years. These women will be re-examined after two years. Also, after two years, the scope of this activity will be increased, informed Gynecologist Dr Tushar Palve.

Education and awareness

• In one camp, 40 eligible women in the age group of 30 to 65 will be screened
• 20 to 30 minutes of health education information and 15 to 20 minutes of screening for women
• Immediate treatment if the test report is positive

21 camps per month

Each college has been given a target to screen 20,000 women in two years. To complete it, 21 camps have to be taken every month. At least 840 women will be screened every month from these camps. A target has been given to examine 10,080 women in a year and 20,160 women in two years.