Collector advocates healthy lifestyle to keep cancer at bay

MLA Arani Srinivasulu and Collector S. Venkateswar flag off a bicycle rally marking ‘World Cancer Day’ in Tirupati on Friday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

Tirupati District Collector S. Venkateswar on Friday (February 14) said fitness and a healthy lifestyle have a direct bearing on the probability of getting cancer.

On the occasion of ‘World Cancer Day’, the District Collector flagged off a ‘5K walkathon’ and a bicycle rally, conducted as a community engagement event by Tirupati-based Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care and Advanced Research (SVICCAR), run by Tata Cancer Care Foundation, here. The series of events was themed as ‘Cancer se jeetna sambhav hai’, in tune with the global call for action against cancer.

SVICCAR’s effort assumes significance in the wake of cancer emerging as one of the most significant health challenges in India, with reports by Indian Council of Medical Research’s national cancer registry estimating 14.6 lakh cases in 2022 and projecting the figure to touch 45 lakh cases in the next five to six years.

Mr. Venkateswar called upon the younger generation to adopt healthy food habits by shunning junk food and exercising daily, not just to prevent cancer but also to ensure health and longevity. The cervical and oral cancer screening programme, under which a dedicated vehicle, Pink Bus, was being sent to villages, would be completed in the next six months, he said.

Tirupati MLA Arani Srinivasulu appealed to the citizens to avoid using plastic, especially in the form of single-use carry bags and storage material, as micro plastic causes irreparable damage to human beings. Superintendent of Police V. Harshavardhan Raju stressed early detection to keep cancer at bay.

P. Prashanth, medical director at SVICCAR, District Medical and Health Officer Balaji Naik and Government Maternity Hospital superintendent Parthasarathy participated in the event.