Awareness on Breast Cancer Must Be Raised Among Women: MLA Vemireddy Prasanthi Reddy

Nellore MLA Vemireddy Prasanthi Reddy has stressed the need to create widespread awareness in society about breast cancer, which is emerging as a major health challenge for women. She called upon everyone to work responsibly towards building a cancer-free society.

She was speaking as the chief guest at a national seminar organised by the Breast Imaging Society of India at the Padmavati Auditorium of Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati on Sunday.

Addressing the gathering, Prasanthi Reddy said the increasing number of breast cancer cases among women due to changing lifestyles and other factors was a matter of concern. However, she emphasised that awareness was more important than fear regarding the disease.

“ Breast cancer may be life-threatening, but if it is detected in the early stages, there is up to a 90 per cent chance of complete recovery through modern medical treatment, ” she said. She advised women to undergo regular preventive screenings to safeguard their lives.

The MLA expressed concern that many women in rural areas were not approaching hospitals until the disease reached an advanced stage due to lack of awareness. She urged that the message ‘prevention is better than cure’ should be taken to every village.

She also called on health workers and voluntary organisations to work in coordination at the grassroots level to remove misconceptions among rural women and create awareness about the disease.

Several medical experts, representatives from across the country, health workers, and SVIMS students participated in the programme in large numbers.