In its continuing efforts to promote community health care, Hindu Mission Hospital Trichy conducted health camps targeting women’s malignancy at Manapparai and Thuriayur, two small towns near Trichy.
Women’s malignancy is on the rise in India. Effective screening strategies have brought down the mortality due to cervical and breast cancer in western countries, in the last few decades. However, partly due to ineffective screening programs, these malignancies are in the rise in India.
The camp at Manapparai targeted all adults aged 30 and above and screened for chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease). Women in addition to this, were offered a cervical smear to test for HPV (the causative agent for the most prevalent type of cervical cancer).
Through a silicon mold model, widely used in the west (Mammacare), and audio-visual aids, the women also learnt how to do self breast examination. Only women patients were seen in Thuraiyur camp in order to focus on gynecological malignancies.
Prominent gynecologists from the local area and Trichy participated in the camp, while doctors from various disciplines were available to consult for any other specific ailment. Dr. Jeyapandi from Hindu Mission Hospital and Mr. V.V. Subramanian co-ordinated the entire Hindu Mission Hospital operation and staff involvement. The local assistance came from Dr. Kalaiarasan, Sinduja Hospital at Manapparai and Dr.VijayKumar, Annai Hospital at Thuraiyur. The overall administrative, technical and paramedical support were provided by Kaveri Medical center Trichy. The entire programme was sponsored by Association of Indian Pathologists of North America, through a grant from Hologic Inc. Dr. Rajan Dewar of BIDMC and Harvard Medical School was the grantee and directed the operations, which will continue to grow in an ongoing effort to contain malignancy among women in Trichy and neighboring states.