Childhood Cancer: Ranks Fourth Out of Top Seven Cancers in India

Highlights :

An interview with Mrs. Poonam Bagai, chairman, CanKids, reveals alarming facts on childhood cancer in India
CanKids is a NGO working across the entire spectrum of childhood cancer care
The motto of her NGO is YANA — You Are Not Alone, and it provides support to children with cancer and their families
Eighty percent of children with cancer in India may not survive

An interview with Mrs. Poonam Bagai, chairman, CanKids (The National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India), stated that childhood cancers represent the starkest area of health inequity, with survival rates over 80% in high-income countries and as low as 20% in low-income countries like India.

About 76,805 children have cancer each year, of which not more than 34% are reaching a cancer hospital anywhere in the country, and this becomes a key factor for overall survival rates in India at less than 20%.

Childhood Cancer - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complication & Prevention
Childhood or pediatric cancers occur in children less than 15 years of age. They are rare and differ from adult tumors in their location and behaviour.

‘Mrs. Poonam Bagai, chairman, CanKids: Survival rate in kids with cancer is highest when treated in time. It is very important to address this special area of risk by making aware not only public but also health fraternity.’
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About CanKids

Mrs. Poonam Bagai, a cancer survivor, along with her co-founder Sonal founded “CanKids” to address this special area of risk and make a difference in the lives of children fighting cancer under the umbrella of Indian Cancer Society, Delhi.

The big umbrella project of their initiative is “You are not alone,” where they hold hands of kids fighting cancers providing all the amenities right from detection of cancer to treatment and thereafter.

This is their gap filling model. The journey started from Delhi with later partnering with hospitals, and today, they partner with 120 hospitals in India.

On the Occasion of World Cancer Day, they initiated “Close the Care Gap,” the faaslekhatamkaro campaign.

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Close the Care Gap Campaign

On World Cancer Day, kids fighting with cancers and their parents from across India are writing letters to their respective MPs and requesting to raise the serious issue of health inequity for cancer kids in the Parliament session and urge to formulate Policy for Childhood Cancer. These children have highlighted the gaps through drawings they faced from their diagnosis and treatment.

Launched by International Union for Cancer Control (UICC), the 3-year theme #Closethecaregap is about identifying and addressing the barriers that exist for many people around the world in accessing the care they need. The emphasis in current times is how we can improve access to care so that more and more children fighting cancer get the right treatment.

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Why is Health Inequity for Cancer Kids and What Shall be Done ?

Inequality refers to the uneven distribution of resources, or inequity means unjust, avoidable differences in care or health outcomes. Closing the cancer care gap isn’t about simply providing everyone with equal resources.

#ClosetheCareGap is all about raising awareness/understanding about everything that is resulting in poor Access2Care, which is preventing our children with cancer from surviving and thriving.

In current times, several organizations and hospitals should take the efforts to improve access to care for children fighting with cancers and treatment reaching them in time, supporting their families.

Source-Medindia

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