Naidu for mandatory cancer screening after a certain age
Mumbai: Cancer screening after a certain age should be made mandatory in the country, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said today, and asked researchers to make path-breaking advances in cancer prevention and treatment.
Addressing a graduation ceremony at the Tata Memorial Centre here, he also called for greater emphasis on inventing strategies in the battle against cancer.
"Two-thirds of advanced cancer cases are preventable.
Therefore, early detection and treatment are the need of the hour. The government should make it mandatory after a particular age for cancer screening. A healthy nation can become (a) wealthy nation," Naidu said.
"We should educate and spread awareness about early detection and prevention of cancer," he said.
Quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research data, Naidu said, "In 2016, the total number of new cancer cases was expected to be around 14.5 lakh and the figure is likely to reach nearly 17.3 lakh new cases in 2020. Over 7.36 lakh people were expected to succumb to the disease in 2016 while the figure is estimated to shoot up to 8.8 lakh by 2020."
The data also revealed that only 12.5 per cent of patients come for treatment at early stages of the disease, Naidu said, adding among women, breast cancer topped the list, while it was mouth cancer among men.
"According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, in India during 2016-17, around 19 per cent of men, 12.8 per cent of women and 21.4 per cent of all adults smoke tobacco and 42.4 per cent of men, 14.2 per cent of women and 28.6 per cent of all adults either smoke tobacco and or use smokeless tobacco," the vice president said.
Naidu underlined the importance of Ayurveda to the graduating students, saying, "Medical students should try to explore if ancient Indian medical systems like Ayurveda, can offer some alternative solutions on cancer treatment."
According to some scholars, cancer treatment with Ayurveda goes back to seventh century BC, where Atreya and Dhanwanthari used herbal medicines for treating early stages of cancer, he said.
"We should see if there are some indigenous cost- effective solutions that may be useful for making cancer treatment more affordable," Naidu said.
The vice president said, "People should go back to their roots, especially the way we live and the way we think."
Awareness must be created, particularly among the youngsters, on the need to lead healthy lifestyles and avoid consumption of junk food, he said.
Naidu also touched on the need to increase palliative care centres in the country.
He asked doctors and medical students to spread awareness on the need to observe personal hygiene and maintain sanitation.
Lack of personal hygiene causes infections like HPV, which, in turn, has the potential to cause cancer of the cervix, Naidu said.
Yoga training should be imparted to students as part of ensuring healthy lifestyles, he said, adding yoga is a holistic approach to healthy living and there is evidence that it enhances the well being and quality of life.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
