President Murmu urges families to encourage women to speak up about their health issues

Bengaluru: President Droupadi Murmu urged people on Friday to encourage women in their households to openly discuss their health-related issues.

Many times, women in a family do not receive timely diagnosis and treatment for their health issues. This may be due to traditional mindsets where addressing their health concerns is not a priority for the family, including the women themselves. Such delays, especially in cases of cancer, can be critical, said Murmu, delivering the key-note speech after inaugurating KLE Cancer Hospital in Belagavi.

She also emphasised that society, as a whole, needs to take women’s health more seriously and actively contribute to their care, ensuring they receive timely and appropriate treatment.

Murmu highlighted a global study identifying cancer as a leading cause of death worldwide.

In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths globally. In India, the incidence of cancer is approximately 100 cases for every one lakh people, she said.

She mentioned that, according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the incidence of cancer in India is expected to increase by about 13 per cent in 2025 compared to 2020.

The setting up of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital in Belagavi is a significant step toward providing specialised cancer treatment and palliative care to the people, Murmu said.

She also said that according to a globally respected medical journal, there has been a significant improvement in the timely initiation of cancer treatment due to the Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana.

The duration between cancer diagnosis and the beginning of treatment has been reduced compared to the period before the launch of this scheme, particularly for low-income groups, Murmu added.

Now that the scope of the scheme has been expanded to include all senior citizens aged 70 and above, Murmu said this will further help senior citizens access affordable healthcare services for various diseases, including cancer.

The President also underscored the need for greater awareness regarding the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

“We come across many cases where, either due to the ignorance of the patient and family or financial constraints, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are delayed. In the case of cancer, this can prove fatal,” Murmu said.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi, who was also present, spoke about the origins of KLE Society in Belagavi.

“It was seven school teachers who came together nearly 100 years ago, contributing from their meagre salaries to start the KLE (Karnataka Lingayat Education) Society,” he said.

Today, it has grown into a massive institution, running over 300 establishments engaged in education, healthcare, and research across Karnataka and Maharashtra, he added, expressing gratitude to the President for inaugurating the cancer hospital in Belagavi.

There was no full-fledged cancer hospital in this region, and people had to travel to Bengaluru for treatment, he added.