Mega Cancer Awareness and Cancer Youth
Ambassador program launched
MOHALI: A mega cancer awareness and cancer youth ambassadors
program was launched at Chandigarh University, Gharuan, with Kulwant Singh
Dhaliwal, Chairman of World Cancer Care Charitable Society, as the chief guest
and in the special presence of Chandigarh University Chancellor and Chandigarh
Welfare Trust Founder S. Satnam Singh Sandhu.
Addressing a
gathering of over 1000 students of University Institute of Applied Health
Sciences, Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal emphasised that being most prone to the cancer
in the India, the citizens of the UT must get themselves screened for Cancer.
“It is very
unfortunate to note that Chandigarh is most prone to Cancer in the entire
country with the number of cases rising each year. The women and men in
Chandigarh have the highest incidence rate for cancer. 105 women in every 1
lakh and 93.4 men in every 1 lakh population of Chandigarh are suffering from
the dreaded disease, against the national cancer incidence rate of 97.4 per 1
lakh in females and 92.4 per 1 lakh in males,” said Dhaliwal.
Even in the
entire country, cancer deaths have been steadily increasing, rising from 7.33
lakh annually in 2018 to 7.70 lakh two years later in 2020, as per the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR) cancer registry data report. Not only deaths,
but the estimated incidence of cancer cases in India went up. While in 2018, an
estimated 13,25,232 cancer cases were reported, it went up to 13,58,415 the
following year. In 2020, 13,92,179 cancer cases were reported in the country,
he added.
“Not only this,
the women of the Union Territory must also come forward and screen themselves
for breast cancer, which is a rising phenomenon all across the world. Today,
one in every 8 women suffer from breast cancer, which was 1 in 11, four decades
ago. In view of this peculiar situation, we want to screen the citizens for 7
types of cancers including Breast Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Lymphoma, Brain
Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Bone Cancer and Lung Cancer, free
of cost,” Dhaliwal said.
He announced
that his organisation will be organising a special screening test for 7 types
of cancer, as part of CWT’s free mega health check-up camp slated to be
organised on the occasion of Seva Diwas, as part of the celebrations of
honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 72nd birthday.
It may be
mentioned that to celebrate the spirit of Seva and to encompass the service to
every strata of the society, the CWT has been undertaking a number of
activities under the 15-day-long Seva Pakhwara, which began on September 17,
with a Free Mega Health Check-up Camp at Grain Market, Sector 39, Chandigarh
and featured different types of camps catering to different healthcare
services.
On the occasion, two cancer youth
ambassadors—Utcarshita Singh and Dravid Solanki, were also appointed to spread
awareness among the citizens about the dreaded disease, its diagnosis,
prevention and cure.