Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has released a “cancer screening atlas”, compiled using data gleaned from screening tests conducted on nearly three crore people across the state.
According to a vision statement, the Andhra Pradesh government aims to provide advanced cancer treatment by 2030 and has embarked on a mission to reduce cancer patients through early screening tests.
“Naidu, on January 29, released the Cancer Screening Atlas along with eminent cancer specialist and advisor for the government, Nori Dattatreya,” an official release said late Thursday.
Cancer care strategy outlined in atlas
The cancer care strategy outlined in the atlas focuses on health education, public awareness about cancer, prevention, screening, and early detection.
Based on data collected from both men and women across all districts in the state, the atlas includes detailed information on treatment modalities such as surgical, radiation, and medical therapies, the release said.
Designed to identify the number and types of cancer patients in different regions across all 28 districts of the state, the atlas enables localised treatment and planning.
The CM suggested seeking support from various organisations and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to provide HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccination for the prevention of cervical cancer among women.
Meanwhile, Dattatreya observed that the southern state currently has 32,657 cancer patients, and according to the estimates of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), cancer cases are expected to increase by 20 per cent by 2030.
Highlighting that this is the first instance of a cancer atlas being compiled in the country at the state level, he underscored that mapping patients will give scope to provide day-care chemotherapy and palliative care services through 23 teaching hospitals and district hospitals.
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