Cancer initiative loses steam in state

Chandigarh Tribune: Bathinda: Wednesday, 04 February 2015.

The cancer initiative started by the state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal seems to have lost steam in its second phase. The government identified a target population of around 1.5 lakh through a special survey undertaken in 2012.

Dr Pyare Lal Garg, who led the survey, said, “The government identified 446 mini health centres and 151 community health centres for taking care of the potential cancer patients. It was expected that all suspected cancer patients would be screened in less than two months even if just 10 patients were examined at each of these centres daily. It was decided that ASHA workers escorting such patients would be given Rs 300 per person. This was, however, translated by the bureaucracy as stipend for only those workers whose patients tested positive. In the process, ASHA workers lost interest.”

The state carried out a detailed survey in 2012 during which 24,659 persons said they had cancer. Around 34,430 deaths occurred due to cancer during the last five years and 87,406 persons said they noticed some symptoms in their body out of the 12 listed by the special cancer survey team.

The survey was carried out by a team of 55,000 workers, including 17,000 ASHA workers, 7000 Auxilliary Health Workers and about 20,000 nursing students, under Dr Garg, who was then the Executive Director of the State Health Systems.

Thirty-five hospitals were empanelled by the government initially. Out of Rs 241.66 crore given till January 2015, around 75 per cent went to private hospitals. Sixteen hospitals have been taken off the government’s original panel list during this time. Many hospitals were not maintaining proper record of expenditure on patients.

Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, received Rs 36 crore from the government on the basis of a list of 2,950 patients. Records obtained under an RTI application revealed that only Rs 4 crore had been spent on the patients out of that amount. Following demonstrations by people last year, the college was forced to return Rs 20 crore.

The World Health Organisation figures revealed that the USA had 1,700 cancer patients against every one lakh people. The figure in case of India was 212, Dr Garg said. He said the survey indicated that the figure in case of Punjab was only 90.

He said the Malwa belt, including Faridkot, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Mansa Barnala and Moga, had more cancer cases as compared to other areas in the state. Out of 20,147 identified cancer cases, about 7,000 (29 per cent) were from that area.