Telangana Governor inaugurated the 42nd Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON) Conference

• Telangana Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has inaugurated the 42nd Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON) conference here today (March 13, 2020)

Speaking on the occasion the Governor said in spite of great awareness created among citizens and availability of advanced technology, it is disheartening to note that the country is facing many major challenges with an increase of noncommunicable and lifestyle diseases. Unfortunately, we tend to ignore our health as well as warning signs, assuming that nothing will happen to us.  When a small lump or unusual bleeding is allowed to fester, it has the ability to spread.  A potentially curable disease quickly becomes difficult to treat or even incurable.  This is the big health care problem facing us today, she said.

She appreciated the theme of the ICON conference "Patient-Centric approach" which she said exactly what the union government is propagating.  She added, under Ayushman Bharath and other similar state govt schemes, we are extending extensive free healthcare cover to the needy and underprivileged fellow Indians.  Patients are able to get up to Rs 5 lakhs worth of free treatment for cancer under Ayushman Bharat.  This covers the cost of the most sophisticated radiation and chemotherapy treatment and thus most of the citizens are able to fight against cancer without spending a single paisa from their pockets.

She underlined the importance of empowering family physicians, doctors at primary health care centers and others to pick up early signs of cancer.  Use the hub and spoke model to develop cancer centers accessible at the district level and added to make cancer a notifiable disease.  Chairman, ICON Dr. C Sairam, Senior oncologists Dr. Kalluri Subramanyam, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, and other delegates attended.