Control and combat cancer pandemic, CACI

CACI stresses on Charter of Rights for cancer patients
CACI’s eighth general body meet held
CACI emphasizes on awareness and early cancer diagnosis

Chandigarh, December 8
The eighth general body meeting of Cancer Care India (CACI) emphasized on need for awareness and early cancer diagnosis to mitigate the cancer pandemic in country.
Stressing for the need of charter of rights for cancer patients, the delegates of various non-governmental organizations working for cancer patients felt that cancer patients be given legal right to early diagnosis, informed treatment, second opinion, medical leave, lien on job, medical insurance and travel insurance.
Cancer Sahayta Sahyog hosted the meeting of around 12 NGOs from various parts of country that evolved a comprehensive plan to control and combat pandemic of cancer.
The president of Cancer Sahayta Sahyog Renu Saigal said that plan would be handed over to concerned health authorities. “It has been proven that well conceived and appropriate strategies can lower cancer incidence despite various constraints,” she added.
Delegates passed resolutions focusing on awareness and early diagnosis, prevention and increased participation of NGOs role in cancer control bodies.
CACI laid main thrust on awareness and early diagnosis by providing affordable and easy access to cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment. The resolution also underlined dire need of rehabilitation, palliative care, CME of general practitioners so as to save precious lives and co-ordination of primary, tertiary and specialty hospitals.
Emphasis was also laid on research to determine cause of cancer in certain geographical regions, like Bathinda belt and to take appropriate remedial measures.
CACI members resolved to carry out awareness drives in their respective states for prevention that would ask masses to adopt life style changes, ensure smoke and tobacco free environment as many cancers can be prevented by reducing decreasing exposure to carcinogens.
Delegates pressed urgency for their representation on national and regional cancer control programmes. It was decided that the organizations would ask for an increased participation cancer control programmes of central govt. and also of their respective state governments
It was felt that Punjab government’s measures of providing free cancer treatment for school children, free bus concession and declaring cancer as a notified disease needed to be replicated all over India.
Delegates of Cancer Sahyog, Can Support and Roko Cancer (all from Delhi), Sahayta Cancer Sahyog Chandigarh; Cancer Concern Society Dehradun, Can Stop Chennai, Hitaishini Kolkata, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan Patna, Sankalp Chattisgarh, Karuna Care Foundation Ahemadabad, V Care Bombay and Deepshikha Guwahati participated in the meeting.
Later in the evening at home science college cancer survivors presented a fashion show and cancer afflicted children performed dance medley. Sahayta’s patron and supporter, Jean Rodrigues, wife of Governor Gen (retd) S F Rodrigues, presided over the cultural programme.
Cancer Awareness Walk will be held on Wednesday at 10.30 am. Olympian Abhinav Bindra shall flag it off, while Jean Rodrigues and R C Sobti would be our guests of honor. Eminent citizens, doctors, survivors will join the walk.