World Cancer Day marked the launch of Delhi’s CAPS by Health Minister Dr. Pankaj Kumar Singh at DSCI, a comprehensive drive to enhance cancer awareness, prevention, and screening citywide. The event drew top health department figures and frontline workers.
Dr. Singh underscored screening’s urgency amid rising cases, pointing out how Delhi’s healthcare magnetism from nearby states boosts numbers but highlights delayed testing perils. ‘Quality treatment saves lives – that’s our pledge,’ he stated firmly.
Embracing community outreach, the initiative accelerates accessible screening for women via high-tech mobile vans offering mammography and HPV tests at convenient sites, including outskirts, minimizing lifestyle disruptions.
Innovation shone through the self-testing kit debut: user-friendly for private home sampling of vaginal swabs, processed via RT-PCR for HPV DNA, with results, consultations, and referrals in a week. Mammograms get real-time evaluation, with care continuity for positives.
Parallel pushes include education on early signs, anti-smoking campaigns, and vaccination drives against cervical cancer. Guided by CM Rekha Gupta, the strategy integrates prevention, rapid checks, and treatment, with infrastructure boosts for breast, cervical, and oral cancers via camps and tech upgrades.
Aligning with PM’s vision, the minister highlighted awareness gaps causing late interventions. Expansions in vaccinations and mobile testing are on the horizon to enable prevention and prompt care. Delhi’s government vows stronger, inclusive cancer services for all.