‘Create awareness on cancer’-Justice Santosh Hegde

TNN

Mangalore, 04 February 2012: Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde inaugurated ’Medicine update - 2012’, a two-day continuing medical education programme, at Father Muller Medical College here on Friday.

 

Justice Hegde said that there is a need for making super-speciality treatment available in rural areas too. "There are many super-speciality hospitals in urban areas in the state, but poor villagers have no access to it. Hence, doctors must be made to serve in rural areas compulsorily," he suggested.Speaking about corruption in medical field, he said that many drug companies promote their research products through media, and they market those products without revealing their adverse effects. "Doctors need to identify such products and stop prescribing them," he added.

Tata Memorial Cancer Institute Mumbai director Anil D’Cruz, in his keynote address, said that the best medical practice is a combination of external evidence and expertise.

 

"Mere expertise is not sufficient for a doctor to treat patients effectively. One should also study external evidence before treating patients," he said. Dr D’Cruz said the number of cancer patients is expected to grow immensely in India by 2020 if measures are not adopted. "Steps need to be taken to create awareness among rural people on the importance of hygiene and on impacts of bad habits which results in carcinoma. An average of 10-12 lakh people are added to the list of carcinoma patients every year in India," he pointed out. There are three major types of carcinoma which affect head and neck, breast and uterine cervix. Many type of viral infections lead to carcinoma, he said, and added that awareness should be created to reduce the number of carcinoma cases.