Early diagnosis crucial in cancer treatment: Governor

PNS|Vijayawada

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan was the chief guest at the programme ‘A Day with Master in Surgery Dr Palanivelu’ organised by the Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India (AMASI) here on Sunday. He also released the book, ‘Minimally Invasive Cancer Surgery’.

The programme was organised in honour of Dr Palanivelu, a world-renowned gastroenterologist and cancer surgeon, who was recently conferred Honoris Causa by Dr YSR University of Health Sciences.

Governor Harichandan congratulated Dr Palanivelu, who had been awarded the prestigious Dr BC Roy National Award twice, and said that the entire medical fraternity was proud of him. Dr Palanivelu, who hailed from a humble background, rose to a position of eminence as a world-renowned surgeon. The Governor said that due to poverty, Dr Palanivelu’s parents migrated to Malaysia and he himself was a labourer in palm oil fields. He later came to India and completed SSLC at the age of 21. The Governor appreciated Dr Palanivelu for establishing GEM Foundation for doing research in cancer, providing training to doctors and caring poor people and performing free cancer surgeries on patients who were unable to access modern healthcare. He said that cancer was one of the most common causes of death globally and that habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption and environmental factors were the leading causes of cancer. “Risk factors causing cancer can be identified through regular health check-ups and treated,” said the Governor.

The Governor further said that Dr Palanivelu made India proud by introducing the technique of thoracoscopic esophagectomy for cancer of oesophagus and Laparoscopic Whipple operation of cancer of pancreas for the first time in the world. He said that the cost-effective techniques in modern surgery developed by Dr Palanivelu should be made available to majority of the common people at affordable costs.

RP Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary to Governor; Prof P Shyam Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YSR University of Health Sciences; Dr Palanivelu, Managing Trustee, GEM Foundation; Dr Vargesh, president, Association of Minimal Access Surgeons of India; Dr Rahman, president of IMA & Surgical Society, Vijayawada; Dr Narendra Reddy, president of Arogyasri Comprehensive Public Insurance Scheme; Dr Pattabhi Ramaiah, Senior Surgeon, and others attended the programme.