INTERNATIONAL CANCER PREVENTION DAY

Dear Cancer Crusaders,

Thanks for the response that you have given on International Day of Breast Cancer Awareness . As a matter of fact it is the breast awareness month now. Your e-mails suggest only one thing ,collectively we may sort out all the problems that have been neglected so far with regards to cancer awareness, control and the treatment.

Ahead are 7th November the International Cancer Awareness Day and Baal Diwas Children's Day 14th Nov. on Which many of us want to discuss about the future health of Indian children and cancer prevention , timely treatment and cure in them .This has to be with special references to ALL, Lymphomas, Leukaemias Brain tumors and Soft tissue sarcoma that are mind bulging .


With regards to International Cancer Awareness day, in addition to the proposed programmes as you might have read in the AROI bulletin, following are the additional proposals, the situations as have suddenly arisen out of the total smoking ban in public places.

As a mater of fact what was also missed was total tobacco chewing in public places .

Fowling is the text of the representation sent to Dr. Anbumani , our Union Health Minister, A representation from individual oncologists as well as the association will go a long way in dealing these problems. At least plinth work and psu\ychological tunig ofthe mind set need to be started of the policy mankers on declaring cancer as a notifiable disease. The reasns are very well justified.
You see, you will agree in principle that we like-minded people have one concern and that is to reduce the usage of tobacco.
The ban on smoking in a public place has been promoted with main reason behind it and that is to prevent passive smoking and to help those who do not want the tobacco smell around them in the atmosphere.
However we have forgotten to make a very important observation and that is the increasing number of Bihari and Eastern Up tobacco chewers that are not only eating various forms of tobacco but are also spreading this culture to other states where such practices were non existent or less existent.

If you go around and see you will find that this tobacco chewing has created more menace that the passive smoking could. It is for the simple reason that there is more number of tobacco chewers than smokers!

The Khainee and Gutkha chewing in public place should be also banned because of the following reason:
1- It is self-inflicting and damaging to the chewer causing cancers of oral , gullet and esophageal areas in younger age group.
2- The khainee chewers are seen spitting here and there every where not discriminating any age, sex or the place. Hence causing a major hygienic hazard and spread of disease.
3- When they prepare or process the khainee on their palms by a process of mincing it they throw out the "not required" portions of the tobacco mixed with choonambu and hence putting undesirable effects in the atmosphere.
4- The wall of the hospital, public places Govt hospitals have become their spittoons and the whole area looks so dirty because of this Khainee, Surti and tobacco Paan chewing people keep spitting in every nook and corner or wall .
5- Whenever a tobacco chewer talks to other person with the quid in his mouth he tends to eject the projectiles of saliva droplets and the vapors and that may be dangerous because if the person is suffering from any other infectious disease such as tuberculosis or pyorrhea that may be contagious to the society.
6- The plastic pouches of these Gutkha and Khainee has caused a major cleanliness problems all over the country and are responsible for blocking the drainage.
It is high time, we anti tobacco enthusiast wish that please initiate the procedure to ban tobacco chewing in any form in public place.

1- Declaring Cancer as a Notifiable disease as has been written to Dr. Anbumani in the following lines:

You have been considerate finally to provide a provision for alternative crop and industry to the tobacco. It is not enough. The tobacco replacement programme need to be started in a structured manner if we have to get rid of the financial burden on the health services due to tobacco related cancers and other diseases.

You will have to declare cancer " A Notifiable disease " so that a proper data compilation and demographic understanding of disease can be reached. This is more so because there are neither adequate numbers of cancer treatment centers nor there is adequate expertise available in them if we take Cancer Institute of Chennai as a "Bench Mark"..
It is about time, that like Dengue the cancer should also be notified so that the arrangements for its prevention and treatment are done on war footing.

We know very well that majority of cancers found in India are preventable but very few survive once they get cancer because of
1- Lack of awareness
2- Their inability to reach the place of treatment
3- Their inability to get their treatment started on time due to waiting lists in the cancer treatment centers or escalations in the cost of treatment of cancers these days.
4- The financial burden and lure of the "Great New Treatment" that is given to the patient due to the corporatization of cancer management has created a serious problem in the home economy of an individual and the family. It has added to the serious psychological depressions when the patient is given hope for life with such costly treatments but the patient is not able to afford it.

It will be necessary to remind that the male female population ratio is also being disturbed due the deaths caused by large varieties of cancers that are occurring in Indian female and are not prevented or treated adequately due to poorly equipped institutions or under utilization of available equipments in many institutions..