Over 32 cr people have been screened for oral, breast, cervical cancer at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
oral cancer, 8.88 crore for breast cancer and 4.96 crore for cervical cancer, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said population-based prevention, screening and management for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including common cancers such as oral, breast and cervical cancer, is conducted at the Ayushman Arogya Mandir as a part of the comprehensive primary healthcare under the National Health Mission (NHM).
«A total of 1,63,273 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational across the country. A total of 18.46 crore for oral cancer, 8.88 crore for breast cancer and 4.96 crore for cervical cancer are screened,» Mandaviya said.
The screened positive patients are referred to community health centre (CHC) NCD clinics or district hospital NCD clinics to get diagnosed and referred to an appropriate facility for treatment, he added.
Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), 753 district NCD clinics, 355 district daycare centres and 6,237 community health centre NCD clinics have so far been set up, the minister informed.
The Department of Health Research (DHR) has established the DHR-ICMR Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS) sub-scheme under which 18 centres are providing breast and lung cancer screening, he said.
To generate awareness for cancer prevention and treatment, several actions have been taken and as a part of it, the preventive aspect of cancer has been strengthened under comprehensive primary healthcare through the Ayushman Arogya Mandir scheme by promoting wellness activities and targeted communication at the community level, Mandaviya said.
