Cancer surge alarms J&K

Looking at the grave situation with regard to the spread of ‘terminal’ disease across J&K, it has become imperative that the government should ponder seriously over the issue of what could be done to prevent cancer prevalence at the very first place as treatment and other panaceas are secondary.

Reportedly, 32,425 cancer cases have surfaced in the Union Territory over the past three years, with a higher prevalence among men. This information has been shared by none other than the Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo herself in the UT’s Assembly, making it necessary for the concerned quarters to take immediate steps to contain the problem as the number is increasing despite awareness and so-called steps by the government against adulteration, pollution and other factors which primarily are known to be cancer causing.

As per the Health Minister the most common cancers in the UT include lung, breast, oral, cervical, prostate and pancreatic cancers besides gastro-intestinal malignancies such as cancers of the oesophagus, stomach and colorectal region are also frequently reported. The alarming rise in cancer cases in this part of the country has emerged as a serious public health concern that demands urgent and sustained government intervention.

Going by the number of cancer cases reported in the region one can gauge well that thousands of families have been grappling with emotional, physical, and financial distress while trying to combat this disease. The numbers suggest that whatever had been accomplished to contain this crisis across the Union Territory is inadequate and needs to be bolstered further as preventive healthcare needs to be stronger to nip the ‘evil’ in the bud in this case.

All said and done, the need of the hour is that the government should mull measures to prevent the causes behind the inception of different types of cancers because as the saying goes, prevention is better than the cure. This approach is quite necessary in the case of cancer because the treatment is costly and painful in advanced stages of the disease. Besides making each and every household aware of the reasons causing the cancers and how people can remain safe, there is another responsibility of the government to make screening facilities handy and available at the doorsteps of the people that too at nominal cost for ensuring seamless detection of this ailment to start treatment as early as possible.

The stakeholders should do whatever is possible to curb Cancer prevalence in Jammu and Kashmir. Lack of awareness and delay in screening of this disease is suicidal therefore people should say no to lethargy and go for medical check-up on priority in case of any of the symptoms as one should not waste even a day in starting the treatment once it has been diagnosed. The government has a big responsibility on its shoulders to provide facilities for awareness, detection, diagnosis and treatment because nothing less than this can do any favour to the people confronting this disease which used to be fatal a few decades ago.