Mumbai: More than 14,500 women in Maharashtra’s Hingoli have been detected with “cancer-like symptoms” during screening under the Sanjivani scheme, state health minister Prakash Abitkar informed the assembly on Thursday.
A total of 2,92,996 were surveyed since March 8 there during which they had to answer a questionnaire related to cancer symptoms, Abitkar said in a written reply in the House.
“Out of these, 14,542 women were detected with cancer-like symptoms. So far, three have been diagnosed with cancer of the uterus, one with breast cancer and eight with oral cancer after screening and tests. The campaign in Hingoli was an initiative of the district collector for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer,” he said.
The minister also said there is no proposal to set up a separate cancer hospital for women, though he added that health camps and screenings are held in rural areas for diagnosis of cancer.
Diagnostic facilities are provided at district hospitals and medical college hospitals and ‘cancer warriors’ trained by Tata Memorial Hospital visit 11 district hospitals twice every month with experts, the minister informed the assembly.
Day-care chemotherapy centres have started at eight district hospitals and the process to establish these in all districts is underway, Abitkar said.>
