Tirupati: The Tata Trusts, through their special purpose vehicle, Alamelu Charitable Foundation, will organise a two-day health camp, free of charge, at the newly instituted Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care and Advanced Research (SVICCAR) on 12th and 13th October in Tirupati. Special buses will ply from Alipiri Padalu and Cherlopalli to the camp site and back throughout the day.
The health camp is being organised for screening of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, with the objective of early detection. The camp also intends to create awareness among people. This initiative is intended to help people become conscious of the onset of symptoms, and adopt healthy lifestyle measures.
In a message for this initiative, Dr. Narayana Murthy, Director, SVICCAR, said, “Diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer are becoming increasingly common among the rich and poor alike. The Trusts and Alamelu Charitable Foundation are determined to address this by providing access to regular screening, early detection and treatment on a war footing. With the risk and occurrence of non-communicable diseases, including common cancers on the rise, such initiatives will help in making a significant impact towards building a healthier population”.
With nearly 100,000 devotees visiting Tirupati on a daily basis, the health camp is expected to have far-reaching impact on the community.
Going beyond the two-day camp, the foundation has established a permanent three-pronged screening set-up to cater to different sections of the population in Chittoor district:
Monthly camp in Tirupati: Every month, a screening camp will be held at the planned hospital site of SVICCAR, adjacent to 33KV substation on the Alipiri – Cherlopalli road.
Mobile camps in areas near Tirupati: Mobile units will travel to areas in a 100 km radius from Tirupati and conduct screening activities in the selected area for a whole day. These camps are tentatively planned to be conducted in Madanapalli, Gudur, Naidupeta, Rajampeta, Peeleru and Rayachoty.
Daily clinic at SVICCAR: A clinic at the hospital site that will be open between 9 am to 12 pm, from Monday to Friday, will start functioning shortly. Out-patient services will also be available at SVICCAR in a few months’ time.
The Tata Trusts have been pioneers in developing cancer care infrastructure since 1942 with the establishment of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and the more recently established Tata Medical Center, Kolkata, in 2011. Partnering with various state governments, the Trusts have been working to set up a comprehensive cancer care network. Recently, the Tata Trusts have partnered with the Government of Assam to operationalise 19 upcoming modern cancer care facilities, and the Government of Nagaland to develop 5 district hospitals. The Trusts are currently in conversation with various other State Governments, like Odisha and Telangana, for establishing similar networks.