Cancer awareness programme held at Tura

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Dec 1: The State Cancer Society of Meghalaya in collaboration with Civil Hospital, Tura and NP-NCD, West Garo Hills conducted a Cancer Awareness Programme and Free Screening Camp at Tura Civil Hospital on 1st December, 2023.

It may be mentioned that the team comprising of Dr Anisha Mawlong, Cancer Specialist and Member Secretary, State Cancer Society, Meghalaya Shillong, Dr Farida Momin, Oncologist, Cancer Wing, Civil Hospital, Shillong along with Medical Officers facilitated the awareness and advanced screening procedures for patients during the screening camp.

Mentioning that the Meghalaya Cancer Society is promoting awareness and providing cancer screening services throughout the State, Dr Farida Momin informed that Meghalaya has the most number of cancer patients in India and are suffering from cancer in the mouth, throat, oesophagus, etc. She further mentioned that this could be due to the lifestyle of the people of the region which we are aware of and urged everyone to look for the signs and symptoms of cancer and avail early diagnosis and treatment so as to prevent the disease in future.

Encouraging the people to overcome fear psychosis with cancer diagnosis, she urged everyone to come forward and get themselves checked and also mentioned that the disease when detected early is curable and added that the Government is also providing free of cost treatment for cancer patients in various government facilities in the district.

Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent of Tura Civil Hospital, Dr I C Marak expressed hope that organising such screening programmes for the first time in the district would benefit the general public and said that this initiative should continue in near future from time to time while advising everyone to avail this opportunity and keep themselves healthy.

Dr Shemida Marak, Joint Director,  Garo Hills Division, Dr Jakrambal A Sangma, Additional District Medical & Health Officer, Tura, Dr Jeby Marak, Oncologist, Tura Civil Hospital, Medical Officers of Tura Civil Hospital were among others present at the screening programme.

Court to decide on relocation from Sweepers’ Colony

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar has informed that the state government has filed an affidavit before the Meghalaya High Court with regards to the proposal for relocating the 342 families of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.
Dhar told reporters today that now the matter is left to the court to decide.

The minister said that the government will also sit in a few days and take a call on the matter.

According to him, this was after the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) had rejected the government’s proposal to relocate the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

Dhar however said that the government will always welcome the HPC if they want to discuss the matter.

On April 24, the Meghalaya High Court had deferred the hearing on the issue to June 7.

The order was passed by the division bench based on the request made by the state government and the HPC during the hearing held here.
The government had come up with a blueprint after rejecting the April 25,2022-proposal of the HPC that 200 square meters of land be provided to each of the 342 families within the European ward besides bearing the cost of construction of their homes.

In its recent 6-page reply sent to the Deputy Secretary of the Government of Meghalaya and other concerned departments, the HPC had alleged that the government’s proposal was “incomplete, unsuitable, unprepared, unfair and undemocratic.”

The HPC had also stated in its reply that “There are serious lacunae, sweeping and undesirable conclusions in the approach and attitude of the High-Level Committee of the Meghalaya government.”

“We are absolutely devastated that since the formation of the new government, ministers, MLAs and certain groups have been making unnecessary remarks saying that the whole issue would be resolved within the month of April. What magical trick do they have up their sleeve to resolve the issue within days? The matter is sub-judice and they are only paying lip service to respect for the judiciary. We will not buckle under political duress,” it had also added.