By IANS,
Gurgaon: Moved by the rising cases of cancer among the poor, who are hampered by both lack of awareness and funds, a doctor in this industrial town, a suburb of Delhi, Saturday set up a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to offer free diagnosis and treatment.
Named New India Cancer Charity Initiative (NICCI), the NGO is the brainchild of Bhawna Sirohi, head oncologist at the Artemis Health Institute.
“There is such a big lacuna when it comes to awareness about cancer…and it’s not just among the illiterate people but also among the educated class,” she said.
Sirohi said cancer awareness would be one of the key aims of her NGO to make early diognosis of the disease possible.
“So many times, women come to me in advanced stages of breast cancer simply because they didn’t think that a lump on their breast was a reason enough to see the doctor. Unless there is a pain or bleeding, they will keep putting it off,” she said.
According to Sirohi, India has 80,000-100,000 new cases of breast cancer every year. Globally, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes.
“I have been giving lectures to spread awareness on cancer to local resident welfare associations, but in order to do more, I decided to start this NGO. At the start, we will go to Meerut for awareness campaigns,” Sirohi told IANS.
“We have tied up with the local medical college there and will start a free screening, diagnosis and treatment centre. My focus will be on head, neck, breast and cervical cancer,” she added.
Cancer treatment is an expensive affair, with diagnosis and treatment costing upwards of Rs.5 lakh. Chemotherapy alone costs upwards of Rs.1 lakh.
Talking about funding, Sirohi said her friends and family will be the initial donors, and that she expects corporates to pitch in as well.
“I am also inaugurating a painting exhibition today, and its proceeds will go to the NGO,” she said.