| Monday, June 18, 2007 |
| Palliative care is being dropped from the National Cancer Control Program (NCCP) |
Palliative Care, two word can change the life of an advanced stage cancer patient.
I personally see it, and also done a television story for that, I am little worry, why my fellow journalist are not covering this care...well in the mean time we have an effort of some NGO's and groups, who tell us that the 'ministry of health' is not so keen to care of this healthy idea!
Pallium India is working from last few years for this great cause. Hope you all 'pen friends' support the cause and have some idea to compel the policy makers to wake......
Aware Cancer
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June 13, 2007
Palliative care is being dropped from the National Cancer Control Program (NCCP).
In a strange move, the department of Health & FW seems to have decided to ignore its own policy, the recommendations of WHO and the decisions of a task force of experts that it had appointed itself, to decide that people in pain must continue to be in pain and suffering! And there seems to be no reason at all behind such a decision except possibly the lack of understanding of the problem by some officials in the corridors of power!
The background:
From 1986, the NCCP has proclaimed that pain relief should be an essential part of cancer care.
From 1991, numerous workshops conducted by Ministry of Health of Government of India planned the development of palliative care services in cancer hospitals.
But even now, there is hardly any progress. Palliative care continues to be available in a few pockets as a result of NGO action.
Finally in 2005, the Department of Health and Family Welfare of Government of India appointed a task force to assist in formulating strategy for National Cancer Control Program in the next five year plan from 2007-2012. One of the six arms of the task force was on palliative care.
The 15 experts in the palliative care task force had numerous discussions and meetings and finally submitted its recommendation. We were told that this time palliative care would get its due share and people suffering needless pain in the country will finally get some reprieve.
But recently, all the experts’ recommendations have been ignored and palliative care has been left out altogether. The apparent reason given is that we can prevent all cancers and if some do occur, we can cure them! While even in all developed countries, despite all research, even today, only a minority of cancers get cured!
What sort of people are we, if in our arrogant state of health, we ignore those who are less fortunate and need a little inexpensive medication and care to help them spend the remainder of their days with some comfort and dignity!
We understand that it is not too late and that the Minister can still bring palliative care back into the NCCP.
Please see the following letter that we sent to the Hon. Health Minister in April 2007 and please do whatever you can to help those in pain and suffering!
Dr M.R.Rajagopal
Chairman, Pallium India
PJRRA 65, Pothujanam Road
Kumarapuram
Trivandrum 695011
Kerala.
mrraj47@gmail.com
April 28, 2007
To,
Hon’ble Minister Sh. Ambumani Ramadoss
Hon’ble Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare
Nirman Bhavan
New Delhi
Dear Sh Ramadoss,
Sir, you met with us at the American Cancer Society University Program on Tuesday 24th April evening. Some of us were on the Palliative Care Task Force for the National Cancer Control Program, NCCP, 2007-12.
We were extremely happy to hear from you that the budget for cancer the XI Plan NCCP is likely to be Rs 2500 crores. We recognize that the quantum increase in this budget from the X to the XI Plan is because of your direct involvement and intervention.
However the very next day we heard from the Joint Secretary, Mrs Bhawani Thayagarajan, in her address to the Scholars, that with the Ministry of Health’s focus on Awareness and Early Detection and the funds assigned for this purpose, she hopes that in the next 10 years there will be no need for Palliative Care in the country. The fact is in spite of all technological advances, awareness and early detection in developed countries, worldwide, 50% of cancer patients require palliative care. It appears too that the Budget for Palliative Care may have been folded in to the total NCCP budget.
Hon’ble Minister Sir, this is deeply disturbing news. We most earnestly beseech you to intervene, before it is too late and the NCCP and XI FYP get approved and finalized.
Our Palliative Care Task Force had recommended a budget of Rs 68 crores, a paltry amount compared to the overall Cancer budget, but critical for the development of Palliative Care Services in RCCs and other cancer treatment facilities, education and training of medical professionals, many of whom continue to be ignorant of the need for Palliative Care, improvement of Opioid Availability in the country and public awareness programs. As you are well aware, Hon’ble Minister Sir, availability of palliative care services and well-trained palliative care specialists, will indeed be very cost-effective, because they will help to avoid expensive anti-cancer therapy which brings little relief to them, but also becomes a drain on their own the family’s and even the nation’s resources.
On behalf of over 2 million patients of cancer and other chronic diseases who are in avoidable pain and in dire need of palliative care and morphine, we request your help. We request your personal attention to the matter to ensure that budgetary allocation as recommended by the task force be included in NCCP.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely,
For Pallium India.
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.com |
posted by Cancer Awareness @ 2:11 PM   |
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| Wednesday, June 13, 2007 |
| Defy post-cancer deformities with surgical precision |
I always want to know about the post traumatic feeling on a cancer patient. And fortunately Bibhuti's article has all, that you want to know....Thanks Bibhuti.
Defy post-cancer deformities with surgical precision
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.com |
| posted by Bhavya @ 9:00 PM |
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| We are twenty and become two! |
We are twenty! and on the tone of 'kitne aaadmi the'...only two are actively doing stories on cancer...Why? Is your boss didn't agree from the cancer problem, or you also not seen any glamrous aspect.
Well, the more input u gave, the more we become happening.
I hope in few days, our inbox full by something worthy emails.
Dont get confuse, you can sent any article, by you or by anyone, on cancer.
And what is the hesitation to become a member of this blog? Are you not want to be known internationally!
Bhavya
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.com |
| posted by Cancer Awareness @ 4:07 PM |
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| INVITATION FOR WORKSHOP |
Burning Brain Society shall be conducting two day’s activity to polish the skills of activists and civil society members on issues relating to tobacco control.
This is a special event and only selected people are being invited to the workshop. The workshop intends to enhance the skill set of activists for effectively working on tobacco control with a result-oriented approach. Successful models from other countries, lessons learnt from other civil rights movements and the possibility of adapting them with a comprehensive approach shall also be discussed. “Action” is the buzz word for the workshop.
We would like to invite you to attend the workshop on the 16th and 17th of June 2007 at ICSSR Centre, Punjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh. We may be able to reimburse train fair to some of the participants on need basis.
Kindly confirm your participation at the earliest to G. Poonam at poonam@burningbrain.org or register yourself here.
(Visit: http://www.burningbrain.org/workshop2007/register.htm)
Burning Brain Society
Telephone: +91-172- 5165555, 5185600 Mobile: +91-9463396313
E-Mail: info@burningbrain.org
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.comLabels: http://www.burningbrain.org/workshop2007/register.htm |
| posted by Bhavya @ 2:05 PM |
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| Monday, June 11, 2007 |
| What they don't tell you about cancer |
Ketan is awesome, in his work and in talking...he done a good story...enjoy reading...
What they don't tell you about cancer
Along with " Kitne aadmi the " and " Mere paas maa hai ", one of the most enduring expressions in Hindi cinema is, " lymphocircoma of the intestine ." Rajesh Khanna is diagnosed with it in the film Anand. Long before that, and long after, cancer was, has been and will be the most powerful brand of death in mainstream cinema. Heart attack is too sudden. AIDS is film festival cinema. TB interferes with dialogues. "He has cancer," is perfect. It is a dramatic statement that a viewer understands as the morbid certainty of pathos in the climax. But this really annoys those who work with cancer patients. The truth is cancer doesn't always mean death. If detected in the early stages, more than 50% of those who are diagnosed with it can lead a fruitful life. But the branding of cancer is so strong that patients equate it with death.
In India, the number of people who are claimed by heart attack is three times more than cancer fatalities, says Dr Rakesh Gupta, India Consultant of the American Cancer Society. In the case of blood, ovarian and breast cancers, the survival rate is between 40% and 50% over a five year period. This means that if a person suffering from this type of cancer survives beyond five years, it is highly probable that the patient is cured of the disease.
It's not just Hindi cinema that has contributed to the morbidity associated with cancer. Television soaps have efficiently used it as a mechanism to get rid of characters. For instance, in Kumkum, a cult serial for housewives, one of the main characters, having outlived her purpose for the production company, discovers that she is dying of cancer.
There are hundreds of cancer survivors who lead a happy life after battling the disease for years. Anurag Basu, who directed one of the most acclaimed films of the year, Life In A... Metro , is a testimony to the fact that not only can one combat cancer but also plan for a better future. Basu catapulted to fame with the film Murder and was flooded with offers thereafter. Halfway through his next film, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. The year was 2004 and he was 30. Basu was given two months to live. "I was in a bad shape and was on a ventilator," Basu says. "My attitude was that I am not going to think cancer is different from other diseases. People take pills for blood pressure, heart problems and I take pills for cancer. Yes, there were times when I felt God had been unfair but I fought back," says Basu.
In fact, Basu even directed parts of the film from his hospital bed as shooting could not be cancelled. To complete the film, he would give instructions on a dictaphone, talking about camera angles and the script. Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri finished the film later. Now, Basu is fighting fit even though he is undergoing chemotherapy and taking medication. His family and unit stood like a rock behind him.
In 1986, Sobha Doshi, now 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She seemed to be getting well but had a relapse in 1989 which saw six months of painful treatment. "It was one of the worst periods of my illness. I could not swallow food. I would vomit constantly and many times my only hope was that I should not vomit after my kids came home from school," she says. It has been over 17 years since the relapse but Shobha is doing well and working as a volunteer with V Care, an NGO. "Cancer should not mean death. Yes, often the treatment can be painful and there is always the chance of a relapse. But one can survive, progress and live a dignified life," she says.
V Care volunteer Sandhya Vora's son, Rishab Vora is a spirited 17-year-old. Ten years ago he was diagnosed with neurogenic sarcoma on his right hand. Painful cancer treatment followed and as a result, one arm is smaller and thinner than the other. But the family never gave up hope nor did they moan in self pity. "It was clear that we would seek the best possible treatment. Today Rishabh is just like any teenager and has his problems though cancer is not one of them" says Vora.
There are many such success stories that go against the melodramatic prognosis of cinema. In general terms, the survival rate of cancer is 20% in developing countries as compared to 60% in developed countries according to Dr Rakesh Gupta. According to Gupta, apart from the influence of cinema, cancer and death are synonymous in India because it's usually detected in the advanced stage. "Prevention and early detection are the key to controlling cancer. Unfortunately, there is lack of awareness and a feeling among many of us that cancer is something that happens to others." Like, Rajesh Khanna in Anand Ketan Tanna Special Correspondent, The Times Of India, Mumbai. Phone: 91-22-22735240 Mobile:0-9821034500 ketan.tanna@timesgroup.comketan@ketan.net------------------------------ http://www.timesofindia.com/http://www.ketan.in/
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.com |
| posted by Cancer Awareness @ 4:40 PM |
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| Wednesday, June 6, 2007 |
| "Bidi jalaile jigars se piya" |
"Nicotine is as addictive as heroin". Bollywood heroines are flamboyantly dance on songs like- Bidi jalaile jigar se piya, and slowly pampering the feeling of smoke...Bibhuti's New Article has some answers.....
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.comLabels: Addiction, Cancer, Smoke |
| posted by Cancer Awareness @ 1:03 PM |
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| Monday, June 4, 2007 |
| Habit Kills you! |
Habit kills you...your time, your career and of course your life. How habits relate to cancer! Bibhuti's article has some insight...
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.com |
| posted by Cancer Awareness @ 12:38 PM |
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| Saturday, June 2, 2007 |
| In Washington for FCTC. |
To draw the attention of the world to the failure of the US government to
ratify the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and to highlight
the double standards of the US government with regard to tobacco, Hemant
Goswami, social activist and chairperson of the India based NGO Burning
Brain Society conducted a day long hunger fast and sit-in outside the White
House in Washington DC.
To date, 147 countries have ratified the FCTC, thereby making it legally
binding ona them to regulate the tobacco industry. U.S. signed the treaty,
but probably under the influence of the tobacco industry, the Bush
Administration has thus far refused to send it to the U.S. Senate for
ratification, as required by the U.S. Constitution.
In recognition that children have a right to live in a healthy world and
that U.S. policies pertaining to tobacco have a worldwide impact, Goswami
also called on the U.S. to end tobacco industry political donations,
prohibit people with tobacco industry ties from participating in public
health and economic policy formulation, and exclude tobacco from
international trade treaties.
Mr. Hemant said, “It’s an irony of the civilized world, that sheer greed
and political patronage has allowed unabated commercial trade of a deadly
product like tobacco. For petty individual commercial gains, shortsighted
politicians have shirked their responsibility of ensuring common welfare
and protecting the people from one of the largest preventable cause of
death, disease and disability in the world. By not acting against tobacco,
these politician-traders are trading the health and lives of our children
for fistful of money.”
Tobacco products currently kill 5 million people worldwide annually, a
death toll that the World Health Organization projects will double to 10
million annually. 70 percent of these deaths shall take place in low-income
countries by 2025.
The open petition to President Bush further mentions that “The policies of
the United States impact all nations worldwide. When the United States
chooses to protect the health of the tobacco industry over that of people,
at home and abroad, it is in violation against the most basic principles of
humanity and is detrimental to global public health objectives. Economic
wellbeing should enhance public welfare, not rob people of it.”
“It is an accident that tobacco became a legal product; but in the light of
the current scientific evidence we must rectify this mistake,” Hemant
emphasized.
(Anna White, Katie Kemper and friends were also present for the White House
Protest)
* GPO Box 137, General Post Office, Sector 17, Chandigarh 160
017 INDIA
* Glass Office 3, Business Arcade, Shivalikview, Sector 17,
Chandigarh 160 017 INDIA
Telephone: +91-172-5165555, 5185600 E-Mail: info(Embedded
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www.burningbrain.org
Send your doing's to aware.cancer@gmail.comLabels: FCTC, Washington |
| posted by Cancer Awareness @ 12:49 PM |
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