Asha and Anganwadi workers to keep tab on rural women's health

Mumbai: The state government will rope in more Anganwadi and Asha volunteers to keep a tab on women’s health issues in rural areas as well as spread awareness regarding all types of ailments, especially cancer.. The health officers at district level will educate Anganwadi and Asha workers to spread  the word, especially to expecting mothers on what to do if the newborn is malnourished.

According to the state health minister Dr. Deepak Sawant said, “We will train Asha workers to spread knowledge regarding self examination in case of breast cancers as well as the early symptoms of the cervical cancer. They will also spread awareness on how to take care of expecting mothers. He added, “Trained investigators and Asha workers will interact with villagers to identify suspect cases, which will be of great help in tackling the instances of cancer.” 

Dr Sudeep Gupta, oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital said, “In a way it is a good move to detect cancers in early stages.” Around 130, 000 new cases are being diagnosed every year for breast and cervical cancer, which are the most common cancers affecting women in the country. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the keys in bringing down the mortality rate of patients diagnosed with the disease.