Dimapur, October 22: Secretary of Health & Family Welfare, Maongwati Aier, insisted on the importance of preventive measures of various cancers rather than its treatment and encouraged doctors to train and educate the health workers so as to improve the health scenario in India.
Maongwati Aier said this while addressing the doctors from the Northeast region at inaugural programme of the 11th annual conference of the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India, North East Zone Chapter (NEAROICON) at Eden Medical Centre, Dimapur, which was held on October 21 and 22.
Doctors from all over the north east as well as from Nagaland attended the conference. Renowned doctors (oncologists) from TMC Mumbai, AIIMS & Fortis Hospital Delhi, Apollo Hospital Kolkata, Apollo Hospital Bilaspur, Medicity Medanta Gurgaon, BBCI Guwahati, RIMS Imphal, and NEM Care Hospital Guwahati were the resource persons. Topics on recent advances made in management of Nasopharyngeal cancer, Hypopharyngeal cancer, Colorectal cancers, Prostate cancer and Head & Neck cancer were presented. Panel discussions were also held with active participation of the audience and covered various topics such as head and neck malignancies, pelvic tumors and lung cancer.
During the meeting, it was realised that the highest incidence of smokeless related cancer in the world was in East Khasi Hills. Post graduate students of BBCI Guwahati and RIMS Imphal presented posters/ papers besides interactive sessions with renowned professors.
As the best minds in the country converged to discuss and deliberate about the research, diagnostics and treatment of the types of cancer specific to the region, it brought forth the latest technology available to local practitioners and hospitals, best practices to adopt when faced with limited treatment options and to make cost effective treatment procedures so that the patients spend less money.
It was for the first time that a Radiation Oncologists Conference was hosted in Nagaland.
