The district panchayat has offered support to the Indian Dental Association (IDA) to combat the growing incidence of oral cancer in the coastal areas of the district. District panchayat president S. Jayamohan has urged the IDA to submit a report so that it could be evolved into a suitable project.
He was inaugurating an oral health awareness camp organised by the Kollam IDA at Vaddy Saint Antony’s Upper Primary School here on Friday as part of the National Dentists Day observance.
He said such camps would help bring about positive change in the attitude of the people towards health awareness.
“Campaigns have created awareness against smoking, bringing about a fall in respiratory diseases, especially TB, but not to satisfactory levels,” Mr. Jayamohan said.
The district panchayat is evolving a model project aimed at preventing respiratory diseases in the district. The panchayat is keen on evolving projects which the people need.
This is being done in consultation with the people and it was for such initiatives that Kollam won the best district panchayat award of the State government this year, he said.
If the IDA submits the report on oral health problems in the coastal areas, it could be included in the panchayat’s model project, he said.
In a recent health survey conducted at the initiative of the district panchayat, of the 31,250 persons examined, 3,250 showed preliminary symptoms of cancer which can be treated and cured, and 326 persons were found to be critically afflicted by cancer. Mr. Jayamohan said the survey showed the incidence of oral cancer symptoms was high among plantation workers and use of tobacco was seen to be the main cause.
