EARLY AWARENESSAND
DETECTIONOF CANCER

Cancer may go undetected for years. It is, therefore, crucial to try and establish its presence at the earliest. We realized that in communities around us there was a huge gap in the awareness levels with regard to this silent killer, cancer. To bridge this gap, we introduced the Early Awareness and Detection programme. Through this, we facilitated community education and awareness on the benefits of early detection in cancer treatment. We also built strong relationships with Regional Cancer Centre in Kanjikode, to provide us with the technical and professional expertise required for the awareness camps and screening camps, and with health professionals in Primary Health Centres and ASHA workers in each panchayat. This programme was designed specifically to aid low income families. understanding of problems associated with such diseases are miniscule among rural communities, we were among the first to set up a Palliative Care Unit in Palakkad district to provide total care to the patient and his/her family. Today our Palliative care team has provided a reassuring service for over 2000 patients, whose condition is such that they  do not respond to curative treatment.