On abustling day in Bengaluru, Ayeesha Banu and Noorunnissa make their way to the community camp for rural women in Kendriya Vihar. Patientsthrong the camp through the day as both women patiently examine and interact with all. .
Watching them at their work, everything appears normal. But it is to Ayeesha and Noorunnissa’s credit that they are among the 18 visually impaired Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) in the country. Since 2018, both of them have travelled together across the country and successfully conducted Tactile Breast Examination (TBE) in 6,000 women. The TBE is a method of physical breast cancer screening designed for visually impaired women to detect breast cancer among the women population.
The MTEs are trained under the National Association for Blind (NAB), to assist doctors examine and detect early signs of breast cancer in women. Currently, all 18 MTEs are employed in Bangalore and Delhi.
Ayeesha Banu, 23, nurtured a dream of becoming a doctor, made difficult by her handicap.But her determination and perseverance helped her associatewith the medical field .
The idea first came to her when her seniors at the hostel she was staying told her about a training programme under Enable India, an NGO run by professionals that focuses on training people with disabilities to help them achieve economic independence. The Discovering Hands programme offers primary training in computers and data entry and the MTEs are also required to attend lectures on human anatomy and breast physiology.
Though born with poor vision, Neha Suri from UP completed her graduation in Humanities and a diploma in Music. With age she suffered loss of vision but training with NAB as anMTE for the past six years gave a new meaning to her life. Neha now regularly attends camps in communities and corporates in and around Delhi, raising awareness among women and screening for breast cancer in them. “Serving the community and giving back to society is gratifying,” she says.
Ayeesha Banu and Noorunnissa on way to medical camp | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Born with no vision, Delhi girl Meenakshi Gupta came across the Discovering Hands programme in 2017 and underwent training in 2018. “The training experience was transformative; it helped me to grow professionally and personally,” she says and adds, “Apne aap ko kabhi kam na samjhe” (Never consider yourselves to be lesser than others).”
But the work life of MTEs is not without challenges. They go through a year-long rigorous training process. Since they were not used to feeling human breasts, they underwent multiple rounds of training in hospitals in their cities before they were cleared for field work.
“But we come across women who are hesitant to let us touch their breasts; many continue to question or doubt our ability while they themselves remain ignorant about the disease and the examination process,” says Meenakshi. For the MTEs, it means more effort to convince the patients to undergo the examination.
Shalini Khanna, Founder and Director, of NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies, says “India has one of the highest blind populations in the world and with a rising rate of breast cancer, training MTEs is a crucial way of making women aware of their bodies and health.
Sonal Prakash, who is the only master trainer for the Discovering Hands programme in Asia, says training visually impaired women has had a huge impact and NAB is striving to make the programme pan-India.
Our MTEs are changing the lives of thousands of women especially in rural areas, where there is little access to healthcare, she says.
