by Special Correspondent Ares
for Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Mangalore, Feb 14: Medicos in the state have expressed need to commission a study on high prevalence of breast cancer in the state and work out strategy to curb them.
"In spite of the available data and information, no definite attempts are made to find out the root cause and take preventive steps," Dr Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of IMA's Goa Branch, stated.
The state known for high literacy and high per capita income has literally turned into capital for breast cancer in the country recording highest number of cases per thousand population.
"Goa has an average of 1000 cancer patients every year, or 70 cases per lac population, which is much higher than the national average of 50 cases per lac," official records reveal.
These increasing cases had forced the state health minister Vishwajit Rane to raise a concern through public statement on the issue. Rane had acknowledged that the number of breast cancer cases in Goa was `alarming.'
"It is indeed heartening to find the state government waking up to the stark realities regarding high prevalence of breast cancer in Goa. What is acknowledged by health minister has been the contention of medical experts for quite a long period," Salkar said.
The IMA has said that it is high time for the state government to commission a state-wide pilot study to evaluate and ascertain the reasons behind this high prevalence. "The study has to be conducted in respect with urbanization, demographic segregation, religion, food habits, marital status and others.
Salkar said that the association has been consistently alerting the state about very high prevalence and the need to evaluate the same in all its aspect. "we have been holding awareness camps in large, which has benefited the public at large and has been successful in bringing patients to the doctors in early stages," he added.
The IMA feels that at this stage mere realization and acknowledgment is of very little consequences. "We cannot leave breast cancer unattended as has been the case with the rampant cases of renal diseases in canacona taluka," Salkar said.