THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Goilkera (West Singhbhum), July 2: Spearheading a campaign to make Jharkhand women free of cervical cancer, Dr Bharti Kashyap reached the Maoist-hit zone of Goilkera, Porahat forests for the second time today in a fortnight and screened over 1695 primitive tribal women and children at a mega health camp.
The “Mega Women Health and Eye Camp” was organised on the occasion of the Doctors’ Day (July 1) by the Women Doctors Wing IMA and the State Forest Department at the Community Health Centre, Goilkera, supported by the health department and the district administration.
Camp a boost to PM’s project for primitive tribals
The mega camp gave an impetus to PM Narendra Modi’s ₹24,000-crore dream project dedicated to the development of primitive tribes. Modi had launched the project namely Pradhan Mantri Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PM PVTG) Mission for the holistic development of primitive tribals from Jharkhand (Khunti) on November 15 last year.
Besides pre-cervical cancer, women were also examined for breast cancer, eye diseases, TB, malaria and sickle cell anaemia at the camp.
Dr Bharti, an ophthalmologist, heads the IMA Women doctors’ wing in Jharkhand.
130 women screened for cervical cancer
130 patients came for cervical cancer screening of which 11 patients were given digital video colposcope-guided cryo treatment. Five of them had cervical pre-cancer and six had cervical erosion. Two patients were found to have carcinoma cervix in a very advanced stage and were referred to RIMS.
Around 300 eye patients came to the camp and out of them 97 patients were found to be suffering from cataracts and retina disease.
My Health My Right campaign
The multi-dimensional health campaign is being continuously run in the remote areas of West Singhbhum on the theme of WHO- My Health My Right.
Earlier on June 14, over 500 female patients, mostly tribals, were examined at SAIL Hospital, Gua. About 70 per cent of them were found to be suffering from genital inflammation and 10 women were cryo-coagulated for cervical pre-cancer and got a new lease on life
The camp was inaugurated by Chaibasa DC Kuldeep Chaudhary. Civil Surgeon Dr Sahir Paul, DFO Porahat Forest Division, DDC, SDM Chakradharpur were present
Under this campaign, digital video colposcopes and cryo machines have been installed in 15 big government hospitals of the state for the identification of genital inflammation and treatment of cervical pre-cancer.
Goilkera continues to be Maoist zone
Though most of the areas of Jharkhand have become free of Maoists, the Goilkera region of Porahat forests continues to be hit by rebel threats. In November last year, a CRPF jawan was killed and two others were injured when the CPI (Maoist) triggered an IED explosion when a team of security personnel were conducting an operation in the Goilkera area.
However, Dr Bharti is not new to the Maoist zone of Saranda for extending Medicare to people living in the remote parts.
In 2013 and 2016, she and her team examined the eyes of lakhs of government school children and elderly people in the remote villages of the Saranda area under the Drishti Suraksha Abhiyan. Thousands of children and elderly people were also given free spectacles. Not only this, hundreds of children were operated for cataracts and sent back to school.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Bharti said that the objective of this campaign is that the primitive tribal community and the underprivileged should get the full benefit of Drishti Suraksha Abhiyan and Mega Mahila Swasthya Suraksha Abhiyan.
Besides, cryo treatment of women suffering from pre-cancer at the camp area itself to make them cancer-free and send them home safely. “All the women suffering from genital inflammation who came to the camp were treated with medicines because chronic genital inflammation later takes the form of cervical cancer,” she added.
She assured all the elderly and children of the area who are losing vision due to cataracts, glaucoma and retina diseases would be operated at the Superspeciality Eye Hospital in Ranchi.
Dr Bharti, Ex Co-chairperson of the national IMA women doctors’ wing, said that testing for tuberculosis, malaria and anaemia and creating a data bank, will help the state government in making health policy for this area.
She said that a wide network of trained human resources is also being created. “In the camp, many gynaecologists are also being trained in digital video colposcope-guided cryo treatment, so that this system continues to run smoothly in government hospitals,” she added.
“Since 2014, in every mega women health camp, 30 to 40 government gynaecologists are trained in digital video colposcope and cryo machine, so that there is no hindrance in the examination and treatment of needy women. In this way, a very large network of government gynaecologists trained by the Women Doctors Wing has been created in the state,” she added.
Deputy Commissioner Kuldeep Chaudhary, CS Dr Sahir Paul, DDC SDM Chakradharpur, and Medical Officers of Sadar Hospital, Jamshedpur were honoured by Women Doctors Wing and State forest department (Porahat Forest Division).
The Deputy Commissioner, on the occasion, said that he is serious about eliminating cervical and breast cancer. “The Women Doctor’s Wing has shown great promptness in examining and treating hundreds of women in this scorching heat. In future also, the administration will provide full support in the camps at Noamundi and Chakradharpur,” he added.
Civil Surgeon, Dr. Sahir Paul said that every year 67 thousand women in the country die of cervical cancer.
Dr Bharti Kashyap spearheading campaign for 10 years
Notably, Dr Bharti Kashyap, heading the Jharkhand IMA Women’s wing, has been continuously working to make Jharkhand free from cervical cancer for the last 10 years.
Under this campaign, digital video colposcopes and cryo machines have been installed in 14 big government hospitals of the state for the identification of genital swelling and treatment of cervical pre-cancer.
Since 2014, almost all the government gynaecologists of Jharkhand have been trained by Onco gynaecologists from Delhi and Kolkata for examination and cryo treatment using a digital video colposcope. Also, in every Mega women health camp, 30 to 40 government gynaecologists are trained on digital video colposcope and cryo machine, so that there is no hindrance in the examination and treatment of needy women. Due to repeated training, now it does not take them as much time in OPD in VIA and VILLI examination of suspected cervical pre-cancer and cryo treatment as it used to take earlier.
In this way, a very large network of government gynaecologists trained by the Women Doctors Wing has been created in the state.
