Dharamshala: The Department of Health, CTA observed the annual World Cancer Day on 4 February by engaging in several initiatives centred on the issue.
The department held a panel discussion chaired by Dr Ugen Gyatso (Delek Hospital) and Dr Tsering Tsamchoe (Department of Health). A brief video message from Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the incumbent Health Kalon was featured along with messages from allopathy and Sorig doctors.
The department in collaboration with the Tibetan Cancer Society launched a Cancer awareness talk to CTA staff. The director of the Tibetan Cancer Society, Tsultrim Dojree, gave an introductory speech on the Tibetan Cancer Society’s aims and objectives.
Guest speaker Dr Tsetan Dorjee, His Holiness the Dalai lama’s personal physician, gave an awareness talk on ‘Cancer within the Tibetan Community’ and emphasised the importance of early detection and prevention which could save many lives from Cancer deaths. Similarly, the second guest speaker Dr Manish Sharma, Medical Oncologist of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, Delhi, delivered a talk on the two types of risk factors of Cancer i.e., preventable and non-preventable risk factors.
Tibetan Cancer Society has also conducted free health check-ups like blood pressure, Hemoglobin (HB) tests, Electrocardiography (ECG), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and sugar tests for CTA staff at Dharamshala.
In a similar drive, all hospitals and clinics located in settlements across India also participated in activities appropriate to their location such as engaging in awareness talks by doctors, and nurses, quiz and drawing competitions in schools, breast self-examination in nunneries and provided free health check-ups including H.pylori, mammography and pap smear tests.
-Report filed by the Department of Health, CTA