LATEST NEWS

India, Delhi, February 26th, 2010
Indian Government Helps Cancer Patients
Indian Railways budget: Cancer patients to get 100% concession in train travel.

Amid the cacophony that surrounded the tabling of the Indian Railways budget in the Parliament in February 2010, one of the welfare schemes announced by the Indian Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee was that cancer patients going for treatment or periodic check-ups will now be eligible for 100% concession in third AC and sleeper class compared to 75% earlier. However, such concession in second AC or first AC will remain unchanged at 50%.

In India, where there are only around 20 specialised cancer centres, patients and their families who live in small towns and villages have to to travel several hundred kilometers to reach a cancer centre. With prohibitive travel costs, patients often give routine checkups and follow up treatment a miss, thus increasing mortality or recurrence of the disease.

Ganga Prem Hospice contacted the Right to Information Cell of the Indian Railways in Delhi, and was told that the new rules will become applicable from 1st April, 2010, and it will become clear then, what papers or certificates the patients have to present to avail of the concession in train travel.

India, Delhi, February 7th, 2010
World Cancer Day: A talk in Central Delhi
On the occasion of the World Cancer Day, Ganga Prem Hospice organised a talk on cancer prevention in Delhi. The talk, with a small and enthusiastic audience of around 60 people, was organised by the Hospice Delhi volunteers at Karol Bagh, Central Delhi.

Dr AK Dewan, the Ganga Prem Hospice surgical oncologist, spoke to a varied audience of women, businessmen, Homeopathy practitioners and teachers in a conversationalist manner, inviting the audience to ask him questions every now and then.

Dr Dewan introduced the theme of the programme—cancer prevention—as an “art of living”. This was because his talk was preceded by a talk by two Art of Living practitioners. This immediately struck a note with the audience and what followed was information on various kinds of cancer, like cervix, breast and prostate.

.Dr Dewan emphasised lifestyle factors as responsible for exacerbation and prevention of a disease like cancer. “Why we need to propagate the World Cancer Day is evident from the fact that every year 7.6 million people die of cancer”, said Dr Dewan. Since the talk was for Delhi residents, Dr Dewan gave the audience information on what kind of cancers were most prevalent in the city and what were their possible reasons.

Dr Dewan speaking at the event in Karol Bagh

The audience listened keenly and freely asked questions on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), prostate cancer signs and vaccines for cervix cancer. When Dr Dewan asked the audience if anyone of them consumed tobacco, two people admitted that they had chewed tobacco and smoked. The cancer surgeon then gently explained to them what ingredients in tobacco were carcinogenic.

The event was an interesting interface between a surgical oncologist and the audience. Ganga Prem Hospice plans to organise more such talks throughout the year. The team was happy to see that the audience donated to Ganga Prem Hospice through the Hospice’s donation box which had been placed on the information table at the event.

The Municipal Councillor of the Karol Bagh area, Mr Moolchand Chawla, was also there to listen to Dr Dewan and towards the end of the programme, said, “I wish I had joined in to listen to the talk right at the beginning”.

Ganga Prem Hospice thanks its team of volunteers in Delhi: Meena Dawar, Rajrani, Bharti Sharma, Shailendra Arora, Roma Malhotra and Sonia, who made the event possible. The venue for the programme and the refreshments were generously donated by Meena Dawar, who also managed the entire programme.

Our next monthly Charitable Cancer Clinic
February 28th, 2010, 9.00 am-1.00pm
at Sardarni Nanki Devi and Punjab Sindh Kshetra Clinic,
Haridwar Rd, Rishikesh. (opp. Choti Subzi Mandi)