THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that cancer patients should never feel isolated. The government and general public should make them feel that they are cared for. He was inaugurating the state-level cancer prevention campaign 'Arogyam Anandam - Akataam Arbudham'.
'In the first phase of the lifestyle screening conducted by the Health Department, nine lakh people were found to have cancer and two lakh people in the second phase. Of these, only 1.5 lakh people in the first phase and 40,000 in the second phase were ready for further examination. It is not a trend that suits our country to turn away from further examination and treatment even after identifying the possibility of the disease. The Chief Minister said that the goal is to find all people who are at risk of cancer within a year.
Minister Veena George presided over the meeting. The Chief Minister released the Cancer Grid. Chief General Manager A. Bhuvaneswari handed over a cheque of Rs. 1 crore provided by SBI for the campaign activities.
Actress Manju Warrier who presided in the function shares her mother's experience with cancer. She said that what gives her hope for the future is her mother, who defeated cancer with a smile and enjoys life with more energy. She said that both her father and mother were affected by cancer.
"My father fought the disease many times. When many people hear the word cancer, they think that there is no life beyond it. My mother was able to defeat breast cancer because she was able to detect it at the right time and receive the right treatment", said Manju Warrier. She added that misconceptions about cancer is more dangerous than the disease itself.