Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Sathya Kumar Yadav addressed the media on Monday at the AP Secretariat in Velagapudi, shedding light on the alarming rise in cancer cases in Balabhadrapuram. During a recent Assembly session, Anaparthi MLA Ramakrishna Reddy raised concerns over the high number of cancer cases in the region, prompting immediate government action.

The minister stated that a team of 31 medical professionals was dispatched to Balabhadrapuram to conduct an extensive cancer screening drive. As part of the ongoing Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) 3.0 survey, the government has launched cancer screening initiatives across the state. So far, 1.93 crore individuals have undergone screening, revealing 1,45,649 suspected cancer cases.

Balabhadrapuram has a population of 10,800, with approximately 3,500 households. Over two days, medical teams visited 2,803 houses and screened 8,830 individuals, detecting 38 suspected cancer cases. The minister clarified that some of these cases involved patients who had been previously diagnosed with cancer.

Minister Yadav emphasized that cancer prevalence in Balabhadrapuram is not abnormally high. Nationally, India records 14.13 lakh new cancer cases annually, with an average of 367 cases per lakh population.