Minister U T Khader to launch CEDSE website on Nov 14

MANGALURU: The five-year-old Care Child Cancer (CCC) initiative of Centre for Development Studies and Education (CEDSE) is all set to go online with launch of dedicated website www.carechildcancer.org at School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya on November 14. CEDSE launched the initiative as part of its wellness promotion agenda in mid-2013 with the aim of saving precious lives of children from life threatening disease of cancer.

The initiative not only ensures regular follow-up to ensure cancer affected child's compliance with the treatment cycles as advised by the doctors, but also provide them with financial support that is not available under government schemes. The costs incurred on investigation, medicines, travel from home to hospital and back, out of pocket day expenses is a major drain on families of affected children, noted director of CEDSE Rita Noronha.

CEDSE thus far has arranged for psychological counselling of more than 100 cancer affected children and their caregivers hailing from economically marginalised sections of society. "We have also provided emotional support to equal number of children to handle the situation of crisis that emerges from the disease that affects a child in their family," Rita said, adding this intervention has resulted in sustained reduction in discontinuity of treatment.

This has resulted in raising their survival rate to 72% as against 50-60% when CEDSE started the initiative, she said, adding this is an indication that service has been effective to a major extent in fulfilling the objective. "We wish to reach more child cancer patients by sustaining and expanding the existing service and further enhance its effectiveness by adding nutritious food to the affected child in a bid to enhance their immunity," she said.

Herald Moras, chief coordinator, CEDSE-CCC said the website that will be launched in the presence of U T Khader, district minister has informed articles on the issue of child cancer. "We intend to create public awareness on the issue for the service was started with the motto - Let Child Live, Not Cancer," he said. The centre aims to facilitate early detection, disease prevention and holistic health promotion as part of its wellness agenda, he noted.

Dr Harsha Prasad, paediatric oncologist/haematologist, KMC said child cancer patients from BPL families who approach District Wenlock Hospital, Fr Mullers Medical College Hospital and KMC for treatment are referred to CEDSE which intervenes on their behalf. Common among the 150-odd annual cases of child cancer seen in the region is Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia aka blood cancer and CEDSE has worked to help them out, he added.