Aizawl: The state of Mizoram, known for its tranquility, is slowly turning into the ‘Cancer capital of India’. Despite the low rate of population, and the massive efforts and measures taken by the state government, incidence of cancer is on the rise.
According to the latest data of Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR), 4764 new cancer cases were reported in Aizawl Civil Hospital from the year 2015 to 2017. Of these, 2254 were females and 2508 male.
The report also reveals that from 2015 to 2016, 1672 people have been killed by cancer. Marking an average of 836 deaths each year, Mizoram recorded the highest mortality rate in its history.
Dr Eric Zomawia, Deputy Director and State Nodal Officer of Non Communicable Disease (NCD), Health and Family Welfare Department said, “Mizoram has the highest incidence of cancer and the major causes of cancer are smoking, diet and infections. Our state has the highest consumption of tobacco in the country which causes high number of lung cancer.
“Our research shows that our diet which consists of smoked meat and fermented food are the major causes of stomach cancer as well as oesophagus cancer.”
The most common cases of cancer observed in the state are related to the lung, stomach, hypopharnyx and the cervix. In recent years, increasing cases of breast cancer in woman have also been recorded.
Dr Evelyn V.L. Hmangaihzuali, a medical research officer, said, “The state government conducted free cancer screening test which produce good results, many early breast cancers were detected and treatment were given at the earliest”.
The Mizoram government, in its effort to curb the situation, has set up a cancer hospital in Aizawl and purchased new and latest medical equipment.
“The government has created facilities where cancer patients can be treated. The Mizoram, Aizawl civil hospital and MIMER medical college have opened recently,” said Dr. Eric Zomawia, “The surgeons here are well trained, enabling us to reduce our dependence on other states for medical assistance.”
He added that efforts are also being made to provide free treatment to people below the poverty line.
Such subsidised, low costs of medical treatment of cancer are significant for a state like Mizoram – with 19.63 per cent of its population under Below Poverty Line (BPL).
S.Noki, 24, recently lost her mother to ovarian cancer. “Even though the government’s health care scheme covered most of the treatment cost, we still had to spend a lot of money”. The total expenditure of treatment was around Rs 5 lakh.
Driven by her personal experiences, Noki believes that the state government needs to take measures like signing agreements with pharmaceutical companies in order to reduce the price of medicines.
She is also skeptical of the quality of drugs used for treatment. “I remember at the later stage of my mother refused to continue treatment because of the heavy toll it took on her body and it made me question if it’s the cancer or the drugs that killed my mother,” she said.
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