Meghalaya: 'The Cancer capital' of the country, says Ram Kumar

Ram Kumar, additional secretary, health and family welfare department, and mission director, National Health Mission, Meghalaya, made a  statement at the State Convention Centre on Tuesday that Meghalaya is the "cancer capital of India" in terms of esophageal, lungs, nose, and throat cancers.

Meghalaya is not only the "Abode of Clouds," but also India's "cancer capital," according to a top health official speaking on the concluding day of a function observing World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday.

In Meghalaya, 34 percent of 13 to 15-year-olds and 47 percent of those aged 15 and above consume tobacco, according to Kumar.

Kumar emphasised the importance of early screening and a change in lifestyle patterns, saying that school involvement at the district and block levels has really been important in raising awareness about the effects of tobacco on health, community, and the environment. "This initiative has also received support from village chiefs, parents, MLAs, and religious leaders." If such programmes are held every six months, we will surely witness a shift in community attitudes regarding cigarettes."

This year's World No Tobacco Day was observed on the theme "Protect the environment" in over 8,000 schools across Meghalaya, with the departments of education and health collaborating with Sambandh Health Foundation, an NGO that runs a campaign to raise awareness about how tobacco harms the environment.

Principal secretary (health), Sampath Kumar, said, “The average life expectancy of citizens in Meghalaya is 62.3 years in comparison with the national average of 68.8 (WHO, 2018). Our state is ranked second in the country in terms of cancer prevalence among men and 11 among women (ICMR-NCDIR, 2021)”.