The Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) has launched a mobile breast cancer screening programme for women autorickshaw drivers in Chennai.
Enayum Kaikal, a women’s autorickshaw drivers association, has been roped in for the second edition of APCC’s International Women’s Day campaign “Screen to Win”, which aims at raising awareness on breast cancer. The screening programme was inaugurated by Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan and Preethaa Ganesh, Vice-President, Vels Group of Institutions, on Thursday.
Addressing a gathering of women autorickshaw drivers, Ms. Soundararajan said: “As women, we need to be healthy for ourselves, our family and our country. Nothing will run without women.” She encouraged autorickshaw drivers to do yoga and have healthy food.
Ms. Ganesh pointed out that a woman died of breast cancer every eight minutes in India. She stressed that cancer was curable when detected early. “We all have to come together to prevent deaths due to breast cancer,” she said.
Senior breast cancer specialists, including Sapna Nangia, Senior Consultant, Radiation Oncology, urged the autorickshaw drivers to prioritise their health and said lack of awareness, lack of screening programmes and gender disparity were the main reasons for high mortality rate in the country.
Posters illustrating steps on self-examining breasts were distributed among the autorickshaw drivers.
P.V. Raji, head of Enayum Kaikal, said prohibitive treatment cost was a deterrent for the autorickshaw drivers to come forward to get tested. “I will start self examining from tomorrow,” she said. The drivers said they would spread awareness on the importance of breast cancer screening among their customers.
