In the villages of Chitrakoot, a doctor's free cancer screening drive is winning quiet praise. Dr Vibhanshu Gupta, who has spent nearly 17 years in healthcare service, is travelling from village to village conducting free cancer checkups without any government support or financial assistance. His goal is simple, to make people aware of a disease as serious as cancer and ensure it is detected in time, so that more lives can be saved.
Late detection remains the biggest danger
The biggest problem with cancer is that it is often detected too late. In the rural parts of Chitrakoot, a lack of awareness and financial difficulties still lead most people to ignore the early symptoms. By the time a patient finally reaches a hospital, the disease has frequently progressed to its final stage. At that point, treatment becomes not just difficult but extremely expensive, and in many cases it becomes impossible to save the patient's life.
Free screening camps taken door to door
Keeping this in mind, Dr Vibhanshu Gupta started his village to village free cancer screening campaign. Every person who visits these camps undergoes an initial checkup. If someone shows possible symptoms of cancer, they are given proper advice on further tests and treatment, so the disease can be caught in its early stage itself.
Advice to stay away from addictions and eat a balanced diet
According to Dr Vibhanshu Gupta, cancer is a serious disease, but if it is detected in time, the chances of successful treatment increase significantly. He says habits like tobacco, gutkha, bidi, cigarettes and alcohol are among the leading causes of cancer. That is why, at every camp, he advises people to stay away from these addictive substances, eat a balanced diet, and never ignore any unusual symptom in the body.
A resolve born from watching patients arrive too late
Dr Vibhanshu Gupta said that in his medical career he has seen many patients who reached the hospital only in the final stage of cancer. Those experiences shook him deeply. "Those incidents shook me deeply, and that is when I resolved that I would make people aware in time, so that the disease can be identified in its early stage and as many lives as possible can be saved," he said.
