July 11, 2025: By next year, Mumbai residents will have access to oral and breast cancer screening facilities at every Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health post. In a significant public health initiative, the civic body is collaborating with Tata Memorial Hospital’s Department of Preventive Oncology to train existing healthcare staff in early cancer detection.
Speaking at a cervical cancer awareness event organised by Tata Trusts at the World Trade Centre in Cuffe Parade, Dr Gauravi Mishra, professor and physician in the Department of Preventive Oncology, emphasised the importance of decentralised screening. “Community health volunteers and ASHAs are currently undergoing training to facilitate early diagnosis. Hundreds have already been trained, and we anticipate completion by the end of this year,” she told The Times of India.
The move aims to bolster Mumbai’s capacity for early cancer intervention, particularly in under-resourced wards. With oral and breast cancers among the most prevalent in India, the integration of screening services at the ward level could significantly improve early detection rates and treatment outcomes.
Officials believe the initiative will help reduce the cancer burden by catching cases in their earliest stages, especially among women in vulnerable and underserved communities. Tata Memorial Hospital, a national leader in oncology, is providing technical support, training modules, and supervision for the rollout.
This initiative forms part of a broader preventive healthcare strategy by BMC to bring affordable and accessible cancer screening closer to communities. Once fully operational, each of the city’s 24 administrative wards will have at least one health post equipped with the capability to screen for both oral and breast cancers.
Experts view the collaboration as a crucial step toward community-level cancer control, aiming to shift the focus from late-stage diagnosis to prevention and early detection.
Source: Times Of India
