Prez Murmu urges families to encourage women to speak up about their health issues
Bengaluru, Jan 3: President Droupadi Murmu urged people on Friday to encourage women in their households to openly discuss their health-related issues.
Many times, women in a family do not receive timely diagnosis and treatment for their health issues. This may be due to traditional mindsets where addressing their health concerns is not a priority for the family, including the women themselves. Such delays, especially in cases of cancer, can be critical, said Murmu, delivering the key-note speech after inaugurating KLE Cancer Hospital in Belagavi.
She also emphasised that society, as a whole, needs to take women's health more seriously and actively contribute to their care, ensuring they receive timely and appropriate treatment.
Murmu highlighted a global study identifying cancer as a leading cause of death worldwide.
In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths globally. In India, the incidence of cancer is approximately 100 cases for every one lakh people, she said.
She mentioned that, according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the incidence of cancer in India is expected to increase by about 13 per cent in 2025 compared to 2020.
The setting up of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Belagavi is a significant step toward providing specialised cancer treatment and palliative care to the people, Murmu said.
She also said that according to a globally respected medical journal, there has been a significant improvement in the timely initiation of cancer treatment due to the Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana.
The duration between cancer diagnosis and the beginning of treatment has been reduced compared to the period before the launch of this scheme, particularly for low-income groups, Murmu added.
Now that the scope of the scheme has been expanded to include all senior citizens aged 70 and above, Murmu said this will further help senior citizens access affordable healthcare services for various diseases, including cancer.
The President also underscored the need for greater awareness regarding the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
"We come across many cases where, either due to the ignorance of the patient and family or financial constraints, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are delayed. In the case of cancer, this can prove fatal," Murmu said.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi, who was also present, spoke about the origins of KLE Society in Belagavi.
"It was seven school teachers who came together nearly 100 years ago, contributing from their meagre salaries to start the KLE (Karnataka Lingayat Education) Society," he said.
Today, it has grown into a massive institution, running over 300 establishments engaged in education, healthcare, and research across Karnataka and Maharashtra, he added, expressing gratitude to the President for inaugurating the cancer hospital in Belagavi.
There was no full-fledged cancer hospital in this region, and people had to travel to Bengaluru for treatment, he added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
