People of Manipur are facing a high burden of cancer risk factor along with poor healthcare seeking behavior and lack of resources for prevention and control of cancer in healthcare facilities, according to a report on "Monitoring Survey of Cancer Risk Factors and Health System Response in North East Region (NER), Manipur".
The report was released at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences {RIMS), Imphal Manipur by RIMS director Professor A Santa Singh on Tuesday.
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"The Department of Pathology, RIMS Imphal in collaboration with ICMR-NCDIR, Bengaluru took up this project in the year 2019-2021 with an aim to estimate the prevalence of major cancer associated behavioral and metabolic risk factors and pattern of their distribution in the population," Professor & HOD Pathology RIMS Sushma Khuraijam said in a statement.
The North Eastern (NE) region has the highest incidence of cancer in India and is also burdened by high prevalence of risk factors of cancer and inadequate treatment facilities. Cancer is among the top five leading causes of death in Manipur.
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The response of the health system towards cancer prevention and control at the primary and secondary level in public as well as private sector and health facilities has also been assessed in this project, Professor Khuraijam added.
State Mission Director NHM, Manipur Dr Ningombam Somorjit and Dean Academic i/c Professor Th Meera, MS RIMS Hospital Professor Nepram Sanjib Singh, Professor & HOD Pathology RIMS also attended the report release programme.
