Expanding treatment of breast cancer to remotest of areas is need of the hour: Dr Mahendra Munjapara

IHW Council observed the 3^rd Breast Cancer Action Day on 21^st October 2022 to highlight the need for a multi-stakeholder approach and concerted centre-state coordination to support WHO goal of reducing global breast cancer mortality by 2.5 per cent per year would avert 25 per cent of breast cancer deaths by 2030

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the increasing global burden of breast cancer. While breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women, the incidence is more alarming in the lower- and middle-income countries. Therefore, a concerted national level effort to tackle breast cancer becomes imperative in India where the incidence is more disproportionate.

Addressing the same, IHW Council observed the 3^rd Breast Cancer Action Day on 21^st October 2022 to highlight the need for a multi-stakeholder approach and concerted centre-state coordination to support WHO goal of reducing global breast cancer mortality by 2.5 per cent per year would avert 25 per cent of breast cancer deaths by 2030 and 40 per cent by 2040 among women under 70 years of age.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Mahendra Munjapara, Minister of State for AYUSH and Minister of State for Woman and Child Development said that, “We need to prioritise the health and lives of our women with better diagnostic and treatment facilities as far as breast cancer is concerned. At the same time, I also urge the medical fraternity to expand the treatment of breast cancer to the remotest of areas.”

Reflecting on the burden of breast cancer in states, the state representatives and health experts noted that skewed distribution of available resources at the health systems level. Dr Heera Lal IAS, Additional Health Mission Director, Government of Uttar Pradesh iterated on the health schemes that the Uttar Pradesh Government has launched for better screening and treatment of breast cancer.  He further added, “preventive care and early diagnosis should be the focus when it comes breast cancer, technologies like Artificial intelligence can play a pivotal role in early detection and should be harnessed in an effective manner for breast cancer detection”.

Dr GK Rath, Head, National Cancer Institute & Chief, DRBRAIRCH and Professor, Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, New Delhi emphasised on the use of mass media for awareness creation and hence early diagnosis, which can play a significant role in bringing down the mortality rate.

Need for awareness creation involving community support and behavioural change that challenges stigma around breast cancer was unanimously propagated by the experts at the event. In order to make rapid progress, public education needs to be combined with capacity building of health workers on breast cancer awareness such as early detection, timely diagnosis, so that comprehensive breast cancer management becomes a possibility in the country.