this has shown that primary health centres often fail to correctly diagnose diseases such as cancer, and patients are forced to go to tertiary care facilities for a correct diagnosis, treatment and care. “When cancer is detected at an advanced stage, treatment may not be possible, which is why the survival rate is poor here [in the northeastern region],” Chandra said.
To get around this problem, the Arunachal Pradesh government decided this March to start screening people for common cancers – of the stomach, liver, breast and cervix. “Stomach and liver are our priorities because the rates are very high here,” Tsering said. But because of the ongoing pandemic, the project did not take off. When it does, it could help save many lives by detecting cancers at early stages, he said.
On an overcast afternoon in October, 22-year-old Surabhi Arandhara stood holding her two-year-old son, Arshik Jyoti, as he cried uncontrollably. Arshik was diagnosed with lymphoma in September. Arandhara, a soft-voiced widow clad in an orange saree, choked back tears while telling us her story. Living in a remote village in Assam s Jorhat district seven hours away, Arandhara and her in-laws barely have any money for the child s treatment. With the help of a woman she fondly refers to as bou (sister-in-law in Assamese), Arandhara was able to get in touch with a regional news channel in Guwahati. The news channel arranged for Arandhara and Arshik s 330-km journey by road from their village to Guwahati. Arshik is now undergoing treatment at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. The doctor has not assured anything yet whether he will recover or not, she said.