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Cancer takes heavy toll on financial health of rural people

Cancer cases are rapidly rising in rural areas of north Telangana districts

Nizamabad:Cancer cases are rapidly rising in rural areas of north Telangana districts. Due to prohibitive costs of treatment, people are forced to visit government hospitals.

A majority of cases in rural and semi-urban areas are cervical, breast, lung and mouth cancers. Food habits, lifestyle and other reasons are said to be major causes of the disease. People from all age groups suffer from cancer.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Ramachandram of Dubba in Nizamabad said his wife has been suffering from breast cancer for three years. ‘We are small shopkeepers and unable to bear the treatment burden,” he said, adding elected representatives sometimes support us in treatment.

Voluntary organisations conduct cancer screening camps in Nizamabad and other towns and identify the patients. Some private doctors also provide treatment to the cancer patients.

Government General Hospital, area hospitals, urban health centres and primary health centres refer cancer suspects to Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, an HPV vaccine drive will be taken up in Nizamabad on February 7. A team of doctors from Hyderabad will reach here to participate in the drive to cover young girls and women as a precautionary step. Foundation members will collect Rs 1,000 from girls for HPV vaccine.

Youths, especially labourers suffer from mouth cancer. Chewing gutka, tobacco is a common practice among workers. There is an urgent need to conduct cancer awareness meetings in rural and urban areas to prevent cases and increase the survival of patients.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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