Tara Cancer Foundation, Kolkata
An initiative for cancer-free future generation
It was 4th April 2010, Tara Cancer Foundation started its journey to do something for mankind. The Foundation is an initiative liable for developing cancer resistance consciousness among the people of downtrodden class. It works to improve cancer awareness among common people irrespective of social and financial status. It educates the people to visit any doctor or health centre, if they have any doubt of having early symptoms of the disease.
Inhaling of tobacco or such elements is the major threat to this modern era. To counter this threat special awareness is developed among the people and they are helped to understand the adverse effects of passive smoking and taking tobacco directly. It also spreads out research and training in all aspects dealing with prevention and care of cancer.
To achieve this goal, the Foundation has been organizing several camps related to cancer awareness and screening programme in rural parts of the districts like Hooghly, Canning, Burdwan and also in schools etc. In its panel it has some doctors and Oncologists (in Kolkata and also outside of Kolkata like Dr Ravi Kannan in Silchar and Dr Anshuman Kumar at Noida and also some trained Nurse and MSW who have already trained up in Cachar Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in Silchar use to help us in our work. Its staff has already arranged several awareness camps and also free screening camps in rural areas, as well as in slum areas. The Foundation also organised door-to-door campaign in each village and made people aware about the symptoms of cancer. In the camps it got many patients who needed to be medically supported but were not able to afford this medical expense. So the Foundation wants to help them to get this medical support at a nominal cost. It usually does the tests like Oral, Breast, Cervix and also Pap smear and FNAC tests against detection of cancer at the camp itself.
The fear associated with cancer mainly arises due to lack of knowledge. With awareness lectures the Foundation hopes to diminish them and make people realise that cancer is a preventable and a curable disease if detected early and treatment given promptly.
The Foundation was founded in the memory of the late Tara Ben Patel to help the people in the fight against cancer. Apart from spreading awareness about cancer related facts and treatments and provide necessary help to underprivileged cancer patients, it also aims to provide the best accessibility for palliative care to advanced cancer patients.
The Foundation organised door-to-door campaign in villages and made people aware about the symptoms of cancer. In the screening camps it got many patients who needed to be medically supported but were not able to afford this medical expense. Therefore, through the screening camps it is tried to detect cancer at early stages.
The Indian subcontinent occupies 2.4 per cent of the world land mass and is home to 16.5 per cent of the world population. It is roughly estimated that at any given time there will be 3 million cancer patients in India. The most common cancers found in males were cancers of the lung, pharynx, esophagus, tongue, and stomach while among females cancers of the cervix, breast. Ovary, esophagus and mouth were common. Cancerstatistics demonstrate that cancers frequently observed in India are lifestyle dependent, with offending factors such as tobacco usage, low socio-economic status, multiple pregnancies and poor sexual hygiene. These factors are closely related to the population living in rural surroundings and therefore they are targeted for cancer prevention. Low socio-economic status and low literacy ensure that most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease.
The fear associated with cancer mainly arises due to lack of knowledge. With awareness lectures the Foundation hopes to diminish them and make people realise that cancer is a preventable and a curable disease if detected early and treatment given promptly. In a developing country like ours most cases of cancer are detected in the advanced stages by which time they become untreatable. With screening camps we hope to detect cancer in its early stages thus increasing the chances of an effective cure.
Contact Address:
Tara Cancer Foundation, Kolkatta (Regd.no.3/ILI/75239/2010-11)
PH: 033-22316550-51 / 9836003389, 9831007162, Fax: 033-22316652
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