Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 3: Marking World Cancer Day, Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital (MTMH), Jamshedpur, in partnership with the Tata Steel Foundation (TSF), has reinforced its focus on preventive oncology through sustained community outreach across urban, semi-urban, and rural regions of Jharkhand and Odisha.
The initiative underscores a growing shift from treatment-centric cancer care to prevention, early detection, and equitable access to screening services.
With cancer incidence rising nationwide, MTMH has prioritised awareness and early diagnosis as critical public health interventions. Limited access to screening facilities and low awareness, particularly in underserved areas, often result in cancers being detected at advanced stages.
To bridge this gap, MTMH operates a fully equipped Mobile Cancer Screening Unit that delivers doorstep screening for oral, cervical, and breast cancers.
Implemented in close coordination with TSF, which leads community mobilisation and engagement, the mobile unit conducts oral examinations and scans, Pap smears for cervical cancer, and mammography for breast cancer.
Clinical operations, staffing, technical oversight, and follow-up care are managed by MTMH, with women healthcare professionals deployed to encourage participation and reduce hesitation among women beneficiaries.
Individuals with suspected early-stage changes are promptly referred to MTMH for confirmatory diagnosis and timely treatment. In recent weeks, screening camps have been conducted across several locations in East Singhbhum district, as well as in Kalinganagar and Meramandali in Odisha, reaching hundreds of beneficiaries.
The programme is scheduled to continue on a monthly basis over the next two years, strengthening long-term cancer surveillance in the region.
The initiative has also received facilitative support from the Rotary Club of Jamshedpur West and the RSB Foundation, contributing to infrastructure and outreach efforts, while programme execution and medical care delivery remain anchored by MTMH and TSF.
Alongside screening efforts, MTMH has intensified its HPV Awareness and Vaccination Campaign to combat cervical cancer, one of the most prevalent cancers among Indian women. Addressing low immunisation rates driven by lack of awareness and misconceptions, MTMH has conducted extensive awareness sessions in schools and colleges across Jamshedpur, coupled with on-site vaccination drives.
Since the launch of the campaign, over a thousand HPV vaccine doses have been administered, strengthening long-term prevention among adolescent girls.
Through these integrated and sustained initiatives, MTMH and the Tata Steel Foundation reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening public health systems and ensuring that cancer prevention and early care reach the most vulnerable sections of society.
