A new chemotherapy treatment unit at Serkawn Hospital was commissioned on Sunday by Mizoram Urban Development and Poverty Allevation minister Zodintluanga.
Mizoram has the highest incidents of four types of cancer in the world and the grim situation is caused mainly, according to experts by extensive consumption of tobacco by the Mizo people including women. Mizoram tops in the number of cases of hypopharynx cancer (male), tongue cancer (male), stomach cancer (male & female) and eophageal cancer (male).
All out effort has been made in the state to control the disease. The new cancer treatment unit is being set up under the aegis of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation department.
“The doctors and nurses of Serkawn Hospital have been treating cancer patients despite the hospital’s limitations, the newly setup chemotherapy unit will surely ease several hassles the people of Lunglei districts are facing,” Zodintluanga said.
The new unit has three life support system equipped beds and state of the art chemotherapy treating equipment and is the first unit to be set up in Lunglei district. Hospital officials said remote districts of Lawngtlai and Siaha would be benefitted with the new chemotherapy treatment unit.
“Our government is trying its best to cater to the medical needs of the people of Mizoram, cancer is prevalent in our state and proper treatment can only be done in Aizawl, our department felt the need to provide cancer treatment unit in the southern regions of Mizoram, we have squeezed whatever funds we have to make this unit a success,” Zodintluanga said.
Around 3,137 people have been killed by cancer over the last five years in Mizoram, dubbing this Northeastern state as the ‘cancer capital of the country’. The Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCR) report, released in the month of May 2017 in ICMR, New Delhi, was highlighted during one day seminar on cancer.
As per the report, over 700 people have been killed by cancer each year from 2012-14. The report also revealed 4,656 new cases of cancer reported between 2012 and 2014 with number of females at 2,089 and males at 2,567. On an average, there were 1,552 new cancer cases per year in Mizoram. According to the PBCR report, Mizoram also topped the list in Cervix cancer among women in the country.