Alarming are the compiled figures of the people in Jammu and Kashmir having been consumed by the deadly disease of cancer as is indicated by the reported deaths of 17000 just in a short span of two years. Not only this , startling figures as reported are of over 850 fresh cases every year , it could be more as most of the patients prefer to get ‘treated’ in hospitals in Chandigarh, Delhi and other places in the country. Medical facilities which could take on this disease spreading like an epidemic in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir are minimal, even the equipment and specialists are scant in number. A fresh appraisal , a complete review and required decisions are all needed to address this killer disease . First of all, let there be created an air of identifying this problem , knowing its general causes (though specific causes have remained away from the medical science) and taking stock of how much were we equipped with the matching infrastructure to deal with this frightening disease.
Notwithstanding the ‘technical’ reasons and causes of this disease assuming so much of high proportions, one single contributory factor is the prevalent menace of adulteration in almost all items of consumption from morning to evening. Can the Government publicly declare that just one item of mass use – milk is sold pure and unadulterated ? No, at least can we know the items adulterated with milk and sold without any fear or any type of restriction? How fruits are fattened and how many times sprayed with insecticides and other chemicals. How vegetables are chemically kept fresh with synthetic dyes and how most of them are grown in places not conducive and watered with sewage , how water melons and mangoes are ripened . There is no checking in eating outlets to prevent chronic repeated reuse of cooking oil, especially refined oil , for weeks together which causes serious and chronic ailments. Then, there is the menace of noise , honking with piercing pressure horns is the normal way on our roads, silencer less motorbikes are normal “modern” feature creating high decibel noise even while passing through lanes and residential colonies, blaring loud speakers and DJs even during nights. The list is unending . When shall the Government start caring for the health of the people by declaring war against adulteration and noise pollution, perhaps never until vote bank plays a vital role in getting political leaders elected.
Agreed, most of the doctors and oncologist specialists can opine in different ways about the reasons and likely causes of this disease like ageing, sedentary lifestyles , tobacco, pollution etc but the main causes which a lay man too can describe on the basis of making a comparison with the number of incidents now and just 30 or 40 years back as mainly about the quality of food we take , the quality of air we breathe and the quality of water we drink. Population is increasing and so are the means to resort to more comforts and less of physical activities . Practically, there is no place left anywhere to relax , exercise and breathe fresh and where automobiles won’t interfere in one way or the other even when one ventures for a morning walk.
It is astonishing to note that Jammu and Kashmir is much ahead of neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh and UT of Chandigarh in recording cases of and deaths due to cancer disease . We unfortunately are also ahead of these places in matters of fresh cases of this deadly disease per year . While the UT Government needs to find out strategies and clear cut plans as to how such infrastructure could be created to treat those patients ably with all facilities like early diagnosis, proper and timely medication, surgeries , radiation and other lines of treatment fully matching and at par with other noted hospitals in the country. Preventive measures could be declaring a war on adulteration , air pollution, noise pollution and duplicate and spurious items of consumption including spurious medicines.
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