Kohima Bureau
Kohima, March 17 (EMN): The Naga Hospital at Kohima will soon be offering cancer treatment services soon. Funds for the facility has been released by the government. This information was given by a medical administration during an event in Kohima that received bikers who are rallying for a health cause.
Thirty-four bikers who are on a tour to the eight states of the Northeast region of Indlia to spread information about cancer arrived at the Naga Hospital in Kohima on March 14.
A five-km marathon and a walkathon was conducted to mark the event. More than 100 people consisting of students, teachers, bikers, and volunteers participated in the run. The event was aimed at spreading information among the local community about cancer and encourage community-driven initiatives.
The rally began from the Naga Hospital and toward Phoolbari and Box-cutting above Mezhür Higher Secondary School. It culminated at the hospital.
The commissioner and secretary of Health and Family Welfare R Ramkrishnan said during the event that the hospital will soon be getting a treatment centre for cancer. He informed that the central government had sanctioned the funds already ‘but due to land disputes,’ instituting the centre for cancer had to be delayed. As the issue has been settled now, he said, that the centre would come up very soon in the state.
The health official hoped, the state would be able to create more treatment centres with the help of the Tata Trust.
Further, he appealed to the youth in general and community organisations to come forward to help deal with the issue of consumption of tobacco. Such a movement is needed to prevent the risk of cancer in the state, he said.
Dr. Ravi Kannan, director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Silchar of Assam, said that the rally was aimed to spread information about cancer and the importance of early detection. He said 50% of all cancers and 90% of oral cancers can be prevented.
With a population of approximately five crore in the Northeast region, he said, 45,000 new cancer cases were being recorded annually. Saying that the amount of tobacco consumption in the region was much higher than in the rest of the country, he said it was one of key factors responsible for higher incidences of cancer. He explained that 50% of cancer is caused by consumption of tobacco.
Further, Kannan said only the people of the Northeast can fight cancer; people from outside cannot make it happen. He called upon the people to contribute to the cause against cancer. “Together we can make it happen,” he said.
The rally against cancer was themed “Beat cancer: run and ride 2018” was organised by the Tata Trusts, Cachar Cancer Hospital, and the Silchar Thumpers Enfield Club in collaboration with the Voice of Tobacco Victims, Tata Motors, and the National Cancer Grid.
The event will feature a series of events such as street plays and lectures besides stories from cancer patients during the 11-day tour of the north-eastern states.
The ride-and-run campaign started from Silchar covering Guwahati, Tezpur, Itanagar, Dibrugarh, Kohima, Imphal, Aizwal, and Agartala. It will culminate at Silchar on March 22. The riders will have covered a total distance of over 2100 km.