Thane: Soon, a fully-equipped van to be deployed to aid cancer detection

June 11, 2022

THANE: The state health department has drawn up plans for early screening and detection of suspected cancer patients from Thane district and ensure timely treatment and avoid casualties to the disease, officials informed Friday.

A district health official said a team of experts and a fully equipped van, capable to conduct and collect nearly 100 biopsy samples daily, will soon be deployed in Thane along with one each in seven other districts of the state. Presently, there is no dedicated mechanism to detect cancer in patients and the department often relies on NGO participation to conduct camps, said officials.

“The van will have necessary equipment required for screening cancer patients and will also carry out a maximum of 100 biopsy samples daily, whenever required. The accompanying teams will visit suspected patients at their doorsteps including the semi-urban and rural areas will not just screen them but also recommend timely treatment. The biopsy samples would be tested at our facilities in Thane city and may be sent to Mumbai for advanced tests if required in certain cases,” said Dr Kailash Pawar, civil surgeon at Thane.

Officials said the rate of cancer, especially oral and breast among others, was high in the state and there was need to detect them at an early stage and start the treatment protocol faster thus saving precious lives. Moreover, it has been noticed that while residents from urban areas get easy access to cancer detection and are screened in time, many from rural areas often neglect the early symptoms due to lack of adequate information and screening facilities thus losing on crucial time.

“Our intention is to ensure precious lives are not lost because of delayed detection. The emphasis will be to visit remote areas where there is inadequate infrastructure due to which many patients are deprived of timely detection of cancer due to lack of infrastructure,” informed officials. A schedule will be soon chalked out once the vans arrive said officials.

Meanwhile, former Shiv Sena corporator from Thane who was instrumental in getting a cancer screening van in the lake city, welcomed the move and said it would indeed be a boon for residents from rural parts of the district as many don't have the resources to visit big hospitals in Thane city or Mumbai and they end up deferring getting screened for cancer. “Such doorstep screening will largely help detect cancer cases in the early stages and save several lives,” she said.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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