On the occasion of Doctors Day, a ‘Mega Mahila Swasthya Evam Drishti Suraksha Camp’ was organized at Community Health Center, Goelkera under the joint aegis of Women Doctors Wing, IMA Jharkhand, District Administration, Health Department and Forest Department, Government of Jharkhand on Monday. TB, Malaria and Sickle Cell Anemia were also screened in the camp.
From 14th June, a multi-dimensional health campaign is being run continuously in the remote areas of West Singhbhum on the theme of WHO, My Health My Right.
The camp was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Deputy Commissioner, West Sinbhum, Kuldeep Chaudhary. Civil Surgeon Dr. Sahir Paul and DFO Podahat Forest Division, DDC, SDM Chakradharpur were present in this ceremony.
Thousands of primitive tribal families and poor families of backward classes residing in Tatiba, Santh, Binua, Rengalbera, Tarasol, Lorai, Kundrugutu and Kendeyang villages benefitted from this multi-dimensional health campaign. Medicines were given to women suffering from inflammation of the cervix. Screening for sickle cell anaemia was done. The identified patients suffering from cataract and retinal diseases will be taken to Ranchi's Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital for systematic treatment.
This camp was mainly focused on identification and treatment of cervical cancer, breast cancer and eye diseases in Jharkhand.
Notably, Dr. Bharti Kashyap, Chairperson, Women Doctors Wing, IMA Jharkhand has been continuously working for the last 10 years to make Jharkhand free from cervical cancer.
Under the campaign spearheaded by her, digital video colposcope and cryo machine have been installed in 14 big government hospitals of the state for identification of genital swelling and treatment of cervical pre-cancer. Even before this, in the year 2013 and 2016, she examined the eyes of lakhs of government school children and elderly people in the remote villages of Saranda area under the Drishti Suraksha Abhiyan. Thousands of children and elderly people were also given free spectacles. Not only this, hundreds of children were operated for cataract and sent back to school.
Dr. Bharti Kashyap said that the objective of this campaign is that the primitive tribal community and the underprivileged should get the full benefit of Drishti Suraksha Abhiyan and Mega Mahila Swasthya Suraksha Abhiyan. Also, Cryo treatment of women suffering from pre-cancer from the camp area should be done to make them cancer-free and send them home safely.
She said that surgical treatment of all the elderly and children of this area who are losing vision due to cataract, glaucoma and retina diseases will be done in the Superspeciality Eye Hospital in Ranchi.
In the camp testing of tuberculosis, malaria and anaemia was done and a data bank was created, which will help the government in making health policy for this area. A wide network of trained human resources is also being created. In the camp, many gynecologists are also being trained in digital video colposcope guided cryo treatment, so that this system can run smoothly in government hospitals.
Through the camp, health awareness among women of primitive tribes and backward classes was spread, so that they could identify their disease on time and reach the right place for timely treatment.
As many as1695 beneficiaries came to the multidimensional health camp, in which around 300 eye patients came and 97 patients were found to be suffering from cataract and retina diseases.
A total of 130 patients came for cervical cancer screening, in which 11 patients were given digital video colposcope guided cryo treatment, in which 5 were of cervical pre-cancer and 6 were of cervical erosion. All these 11 patients wld have developed carcinoma cervix later.
Two patients were found to have carcinoma cervix in very advanced stage and were referred to RIMS, Ranchi.
The DC said on the occasion that he is serious about eliminating cervical and breast cancer. The Women Doctors Wing has shown great readiness in examining and treating hundreds of women in this scorching heat. In future also, the administration will provide full support in the camps of Noamundi and Chakradharpur. Civil Surgeon, Dr. Sahir Paul said that every year 67 thousand women in the country die of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among all types of cancer spread in India. This type of cancer is the most preventable and successfully curable cancer.
What is Jharkhand Model?
For the elimination of cervical cancer disease in women in Jharkhand, the Women Doctors Wing has prepared a special plan Jharkhand Model in collaboration with the Jharkhand government.
In 2021, the Health Department and the team of Women Doctors led by Dr. Bharti Kashyap, after a long discussion with the country's top cancer gynaecologists, concluded that if we follow the third part of WHO's cervical cancer elimination policy 90-70-90 and modify it and implement it in Jharkhand, then a state with less resources like Jharkhand can get a lot of success in cervical cancer elimination. Then it was decided to implement this Jharkhand model, created for a state with limited resources, in the state.
In 2021, this decision was sent to all the civil surgeons for implementation by the then campaign director. After talking to the cancer specialist, it came to light that if we screen 6% of such women of reproductive capacity, who are in the high-risk category or who have possible symptoms of genital inflammation and if we treat them, then we will be able to screen 100% of the women suffering from genital inflammation. The number of such women of reproductive capacity in Jharkhand is currently 2,70,000 (two lakh seventy thousand). The Health Minister, acting on this, made it mandatory to screen 6% of such women in 2021. Apart from this, under the Surakshit Matritva Yojana, screening of women coming after twelve weeks of childbirth and the women accompanying them, who were in the high-risk category or who have any possible symptoms, was also made mandatory. The Health Department has implemented this model in Jharkhand and through this, screening of 6% of such women of reproductive capacity was ensured who have symptoms of genital inflammation or fall in the high-risk category of cervical cancer.
This initiative has brought very positive results. A target of 2,70,678 was set by the Women Doctors Wing, IMA and the State Health Department for screening of cervical cancer in the financial year 2021-2022 from April 2021 to March 2022. And till now a total of 3,49,784 such women of reproductive capacity have been screened.
