The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing the Graduation Ceremony at Tata Memorial Centre, in Mumbai on January 22, 2018.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu praises Tata Memorial Centre for introducing a new specialty in healthcare called Navigation Program for Patient Care – KEVAT.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has asked medical researchers explore ancient Indian medical systems like Ayurveda to come up with alternative solutions to prevent and treat diseases like cancer, which has emerged as one of the top 10 dreaded diseases in the country causing deaths.
“Cancer is a major public health concern in India and has become one of the 10 leading causes of deaths. In India, it is estimated that there are about 3 million cases of cancer at any particular point of time with 10 lakh new cases occurring every year. About 5 lakh deaths occur annually in the country due to cancer in India… We should see if there are some indigenous cost-effective solutions that may be useful to make cancer treatment more affordable,” the Vice President said.
Naidu said this while addressing the Graduation Ceremony at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, on Monday.
He also called for creating awareness about cancer, saying that nearly two-thirds of the cancers are completely preventable and amenable to early detection. “Greater awareness and early detection are therefore very critical for reducing the incidence of cancer,” the Vice President said.
He also praised Tata Memorial Centre for introducing a new specialty in healthcare called “Navigation Program for Patient Care – KEVAT”.
“I think this is a step in the right direction. Very often, patients and their families don’t understand diagnoses, are not aware of various treatment options and available resources. This course will create a specialised workforce of trained professionals to help patients manage their medical experience. It will assist all sections of society, particularly vulnerable populations, to overcome barriers to healthcare access,” Naidu said.
He stressed that there is a need to operate more number of palliative care centres or hospices. “Such centres are needed to provide relief from pain and emotional distress to suffering patients,” the Vice President said.
