'Great need of palliative care provisions for cancer patients'

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Cancer Day, which is observed on February 4, the Union Health Ministry has planned to mark the day with the theme 'close the care gap'.

While spelling out the efforts of the government in handling cancer care facilities, Dr Manohar Agnani, who is an additional secretary in Health Ministry, stressed that there is a great need of palliative care provisions for cancer patients at the terminal stage.

"I think the actions being taken in the country to control cancer are historic. While there will always be scope for improvement in these initiatives, a huge responsibility also lies with the people of the country, especially the youth, to adopt lifestyles in a manner that the possibility of getting cancer is reduced to the minimum," said Agnani, who is a 1993 batch IAS of Madhya Pradesh cadre.

"Lifestyle changes like eating a balanced diet, practicing yoga and exercise, eschewing consumption of tobacco and alcohol will go a long way in achieving this objective. Such efforts will not only save them from chances of cancer but will also help preserve quality and timely services for needy cancer patients and in turn help in truly realising this year's theme of 'close the care gap'," the doctor-turned-bureaucrat said.

The official also highlighted the role of the National Health Policy (2017), Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC), Pradhan Mantri- Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), Pradhan Mantri-Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) in cancer care.

There are tremendous efforts being made to close the gaps at the initial stage of cancer care such as door-to-door screening by ASHAs and ANMs workers to identify early symptoms in people above 30 years of age for five major diseases namely hypertension, diabetes and oral, breast, and cervical cancer and share information on lifestyle changes to prevent cancer, he said.

Efforts are also being made in the country to prevent and control the major causes of cancer through the National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) to spread public awareness among masses about cancer, encourage people to improve their lifestyle and set-up non-communicable disease (NCD) clinics in Community Health Centres and District Hospitals, he said, adding that by expanding the services of CT-scan, MRI, mammography and histopathology in district hospitals, the gap in early detection of cancer is also being bridged.