Srinagar: To improve female health outcomes in the region and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration in cancer care, the University of Kashmir (KU) Tuesday, inaugurated the ‘1st J&K International Conference on Breast Cancer’ here.
The event, that concludes Thursday (today), features free screening and early detection camp, along with technical lectures, panel discussions and documentary screenings.
The conference is being organised by the varsity’s Department of Bioresources in collaboration with the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)-Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council (JKST&IC).
On the occasion, KU Vice Chancellor, Prof Nilofer Khan, highlighted the varsity’s ongoing contributions to public health research and stressed the need for introducing public health courses in the curriculum.
“We aim to pool resources for initiatives that focus on women’s health and create a roadmap for our departments to handle different issues related to healthcare,” she said while emphasising “early detection and small gestures can save lives” and that there is need to collectively fight this health issue.
Commissioner/Secretary, DST, J&K, Saurabh Bhagat, highlighted the pressing need for early intervention to combat breast cancer.
“KU is an effective platform for raising awareness. The insights gained from this conference will contribute to policy modifications,” he said while sharing statistics on cancer incidence and recovery rates in rural and urban areas.
Vice Chancellor, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, Prof Anil Kaul, highlighted the need to shift from tertiary care to preventive measures such as early detection.
“We need to prevent patients from becoming patients in the first place. Leveraging technology (social media) for awareness in rural areas can make a significant difference,” he added.
Dean Research, KU, Prof M Sultan Bhat, highlighted the varsity’s role in fulfilling its social obligations through extension activities.
Breast cancer: Early detection, awareness can save lives, says KU VC
