The Health department has screened 1.54 crore women through the Shaili app till February 18 as part of the comprehensive cancer care programme of the Kerala government, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was responding to the issues raised at the Navakerala Sthree Sadas, a face-to-face interaction with women, held at the CIAL Convention Centre on Thursday. Over 3,000 women from various walks of life from across the State participated in the event at which 56 questions were raised and 527 written suggestions were received.
During the screening, nine lakh women were found vulnerable to cancer and selected samples were sent to district labs for cancer detection. A cancer grid system linking three cancer centres, cancer units at medical college hospitals and the district cancer care units has been put in place. A software, cancer care suite, has been developed for the comprehensive clinical lab examination of those vulnerable to cancer.
In addition to at cancer centres and medical colleges, mammogram machines will be installed at district and taluk-level hospitals for the early detection of breast cancer. Modern technologies in cancer treatment such as robotic surgery, digital pathology, and so on are being implemented in the government hospitals.
Preventive oncology clinics will be started in all districts for the early detection of cancer and follow-up examination. HPV screening for uterine cancer treatment and HPV vaccination for prevention will be made available through these centres.
Commission for the elderly
A comprehensive health-care project for the elderly is being prepared by the Health department in association with the Social Justice department. A commission for the elderly is under consideration for handling their issues, Mr. Vijayan said.
As part of the annual health survey, details of over 46 lakh elderly people have been collected till February 18. Well Women Clinics will be set up at hospitals from the level of family health centres up to medical colleges for addressing the health issues of women. Health-care workers, specially trained in the care of elderly women, will be deployed at these clinics. Geriatric clinics will be started at the taluk- and district-level hospitals and the medical college hospitals for addressing the health issues of the elderly.
Mr. Vijayan said that the financial state of the government didn’t allow a hike in social welfare pension despite the government desired to do that. Out of the 62 lakh beneficiaries of the pension, 60% were women.
