Dinesh Kamath's column on 'Inside Navi Mumbai' (5) (Kudos to Fortis Hospital of Vashi) that was published in Newsband

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Inside Navi Mumbai

By Dinesh Kamath

Kudos to Fortis Hospital of Vashi

One should appreciate the idea of authorities of Fortis Hospital of Vashi to organize ‘TEAL to HEAL Together’ - India’s largest Cervical Awareness Campaign. This is indeed a laudable step taken by the hospital.

Twenty seven percent of the world’s patients who suffer from cervical cancer are in India. Hence it is very necessary that such campaigns are held all over India. It is great that a hospital in Vashi has taken the initiative.

In India such cases are prevalent more in rural areas. Hence it is very necessary that such campaigns are carried out in remote villages of India. Not only that financial aid should also be extended to the patients in rural areas so that they are able to treat successfully this dreadful ailment.

This kind of cancer can be prevented if it is detected at the earliest stage and accordingly treated. In fact every female should get herself screened from time to time to ensure that she is free from this dreadful ailment. Vaccination for young girls is also a very good option to keep cervical cancer at bay. Pap smear is very simple and painless test which can be performed in a doctor's consulting room to detect precancerous changes in cervix.

Fortis Hiranandani Hospital is doing a magnificent service to mankind by dedicating one full month to create mass awareness on this lethal disease. Through this campaign, they are extending invitation to all women to join hands with them for a social cause.

This campaign is the first of its kind in India. Nobody elsewhere in India had got the idea of initiating such a campaign. The city of Navi Mumbai will ever be remembered for initiating a campaign which, believe me, will be emulated by hospitals located in rest of India.

This campaign comprises of holding free lectures for masses all across Navi Mumbai where its eminent gynecologists and oncologists will share the same platform with the attendee to provide insight on this subject matter in depth. Not only that, through this CSR campaign, a panel of over 50 Gynecologists and Oncologists would be screening over 1000 women for cervical cancer with a test to detect cervical cancer risk, namely Pap smear test. That’s really remarkable!

The urban people should have control over their life style since the cause of this cancer is connected with life style changes. Rural people should also shed some of their blind beliefs which directly or indirectly give birth to this cancer. In urban areas promiscuous behavior, multiple sexual partners, overcrowding bad hygiene and in rural, early marriage (so early start to sexual activity), poor socio- economic conditions and poorer health and health care facilities lead to cervical cancer. Lack of knowledge and awareness only makes the matter worse.

So hat’s off to the authorities of Fortis Hiranandani Hospital for initiating such kind of campaign. One wonders as to how nobody else in India ever thought of starting such an awareness campaign. Anyway, someone has at last given the lead!

Stop this evil practice

Another remarkable thing is not that Oriental Education Society’s Sanpada College of Commerce & Technology had organised a Flash mob to promote the college fest "ORIENS 2012" this year. The best thing is that the college has dedicated the fest to the orphan (girl child) and physically handicapped.

At Vashi station, the students of the college performed a street play to create awareness about female foeticide. They carried banners and posters made by them portraying their motives to stop female foeticide.

Female foeticide is one of the worst crimes. In the olden times, the girl was considered as inferior to boys. This rule was not passed down by God. This rule was made by some so-called elderly people of the past.

Now why should a girl be looked at as a weak creature? Is it because of her biological make up? Some men are of the opinion that God or Mother Nature has made females weaker than males and hence everyone should accept the fact that males are superior to females. These men don’t realize that when they give a tag called ‘the weak one’ to woman, they are insulting their own mothers and sisters. It is this tag that makes many men perpetrate worst crimes on women. How long will women continue to carry this tag? The birth of this crime called ‘female foeticide’ is owing to this tag. There are men who refuse to entertain the thought of having a daughter. They prefer a son. The modern technology has made their work easier. They are now able to detect in advance whether their wives are carrying male or female foetus in their wombs. In case the foetus is feminine they force their wives to undergo abortion. Now, this is neither ethical nor moral nor advisable. Such a practice is an act of cruelty and should be condemned and stopped.   

In the past, a woman who would give birth to girl after girl would be abused and considered as a bad omen. Those days there were men who would leave their wives who could not give them a boy and go for other women with the hope that they would give birth to a boy. But in modern times the girl child is straightway murdered the moment she makes her appearance in the womb.

The invention of sonography is a great leap in the world of technology. It is a great feat by mankind. No doubt about that! But making use of this advanced technology to pursue an evil belief is a shame for mankind.   

Female foeticide is an extremely cruel practice and should be stopped immediately. It is not enough to make laws to stop this crime. Those laws should be implemented. In fact, the law should be such that perpetrator of this crime should undergo extremely stringent punishments. After all female foeticide is a kind of murder and any murderous act deserves very harsh penalty.  Life imprisonment, if not death penalty, should be the punishment for those who commit female foeticide. Such a move on the part of law makers will certainly mitigate, if not totally eliminate, such a crime.