‘Cancer rate in Punjab not as high as projected’

“The health department had conducted a door-to-door survey of the entire population of Faridkot district on pilot basis and reached the conclusion that there are not more than 130 per lakh suspected cancer patients in the districts,” he said,adding that the survey was a herculean exercise,where hundreds of field workers were involved in gathering information from over one lakh households. “The families were read out a set of a dozen symptoms,which could be due to cancer and the data collected.”

The data showed that out of the 5.83 lakh people contacted,less than 3,000 were found to be showing symptoms that could be signs of cancer.

Almost 800 people told the visiting teams that they were suffering from cancer. The total deaths due to cancer in the last five years was a little over 1,000.

“The suspected cases are yet to be confirmed by doctors in health centres and specialists at secondary and tertiary levels. However,even on face value,the figure of 132 per lakh population is not alarming,” said Mittal.

He added: “Moreover,this is not merely a data-collecting activity. Patients who were suffering from cancer and those who were showing signs of the disease will be monitored and taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. They will not be charged and the families,which need monetary help,will be given with money from the chief minister cancer treatment fund.”

Based on the experience of the pilot project,Mittal said the symptom-based early detection campaign will be launched across the state from December 1 and be accomplished within a month.