Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Mar 18 : The government on Tuesday said that there is no data available to suggest whether the cement factories in Khrew pose any cancer threat or not.
Replying to a query of MLA (Retired) Justice Hasnain Masoodi, whether the increasing levels of dust pollution and emission from cement factories in Khrew, Khanmoh area are suspected to be cause for lung cancer incidence, Health Minister Sakina Itoo, according to the news agency, said, “This issue needs to be investigated, however, at present no such research has been conducted and therefore no such data is available.”
She informed the legislative assembly that there is no steep rise in incidence of lung cancers in J&K as its percentage has remained static in the Union Territory.
Itoo said that as per literature worldwide lung cancer constitutes 12.4% of all cancers and in India lung cancer is 5.8% of all cancers.
“Overall the percentage of lung cancers out of total cancers has remained static in J&K. As per Population Based Cancer Registry, The total case detected in the year 2024 was 8355 and the total number of cases over the period of five years as per Population Based Cancer Registry is 50551,” she said, as per KNO.
She said that early detection needs awareness programmes which are periodically conducted by SKIMS.
Also SKIMS, Soura has appropriate facilities to diagnose, stage & treat lung cancer cases involving multispecialty departments which include Department of Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology Radio Diagnosis and Imaging, Pulmonology, Cardiovascular ard Thoracic Surgery, Pathology and Nuclear Medicine.
She added that various financial schemes are available to benefit poor patients, covering all diseases including cancer. The schemes available are operational under set guidelines which includes Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jana Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) Scheme from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
“SKIMS has recently constituted a committee for “Medical Social Welfare Cell” under the supervision of Director SKIMS having provisions to facilitate free or subsidized treatment for under privileged patients in coordination Schemes with various Govt, to liase with charitable organizations, NGO’s and philanthropic donors for support and to provide counseling and emotional support to patients and their families
