Collaborations for Community Screening

Assam Cancer Care Foundation has been actively organizing community outreach programmes in remote areas having lesser access to healthcare facilities. To propagate hassle-free screening of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and to penetrate into far-flung locations, collaboration with local organizations has been an added advantage.

We have collaborated with Directorate of Medical Education (DME), and National Health Mission (NHM), to extend support to State and District NCD Cells in planning and implementation of ’Universal Screening and Control of Five common NCDs.’ A mobile team of dentists, nurses, health camp managers and data entry operators are working with Community Health Officers (CHOs) and Multipurpose workers (MPWs) (females) for cancer screening.
The delayed diagnosis of cancer is generally attributed to lack of awareness of cancer symptoms, poor access to affordable care and other psychological factors like fear and fatalism. To change the ratio of early to late diagnosis of cancer from 30:70 to 70:30, awareness and screening camps are being organised across the state.

A ‘Patient Navigator’ is a bridge between the suspected cases and the diagnostic centre and the patient and the treating hospital. Patient Navigators have strengthened the ‘Continuum of Care’ by streamlined follow-up and coordination mechanism.

Screening at Tea Gardens

There are twenty-one Amalgamated Plantations Pvt. Ltd. (APPL) tea gardens in Assam with a total population of 85845. As per survey, health seeking behaviour of residents of tea gardens has been found to be poor. The residents are also susceptible to a number of hazards in their workplace due to physical, biological, mechanical, chemical and psychosocial factors.

APPL and ACCF have collaborated for screening, awareness and treatment facilitation services; for residents of tea gardens. The objective is early detection of cancer, knowledge of risk factors of non-communicable diseases and their preventive measures; thereby reduction in morbidity and premature mortality.