SHILLONG, May 24: Principal Secretary of Health department Sampath Kumar has stressed the need to address the mental health issues among the Generation Z and provide them with necessary support.
Kumar was addressing a consultative meeting at NEIGRIHMS on Wednesday, which was attended by NEIGRIHMS Director Dr. Nalin Mehta, religious leaders of the Shillong All Faiths Forum, et al.
In his remarks, Kumar emphasised the need to focus on working with young boys and address the mental health issues among Generation Z.
“It is imperative that we focus on working with young boys, as they are the future. We need to address mental health issues among Generation Z and provide them with the necessary support,’’ he said.
With regard to cancer prevention, he accentuated the importance of community engagement, the role of doctors in limited healthcare provisions, and the significance of Village Health Councils (VHCs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
It may be mentioned that the meeting, led by the Department of Surgical Oncology at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, in collaboration with the Department of Community Medicine and Northeast-India Association of Surgical Oncology (NASO), was aimed at addressing the magnitude of the cancer problem in Meghalaya and develop strategies for cancer control.
Dr. Mehta, on the other hand, emphasised, “Awareness is a must, but it shouldn’t be just about awareness. It should be an impactful awareness when it comes to cancer.”
During the meeting, the attendees also highlighted the importance of prevention as a cost-effective long-term strategy for combating cancer, and the significance of early detection and awareness of early signs and symptoms.
To disseminate Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials effectively across the state, the proposal of utilising videos in the local Khasi and English languages was put forward during the meeting.
“Furthermore, the involvement of psychologists as part of healthcare teams to provide support for cancer patients was recommended. The need for comprehensive cancer care facilities within Meghalaya, reducing the necessity for patients to seek treatment outside the region, was also emphasised,” the statement in this regard said.
It is pertinent to note that Meghalaya bears the burden of one of the highest cancer rates in India.
“To make matters worse, the state also grapples with a significant prevalence of tobacco use, with 47% of adults (Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2016-17) and 34% of 13-15 year-olds (Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2019) consuming tobacco in various forms. Esophageal cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer amongst the state’s populace, with a staggering 71.2 per lakh people affected. This surpasses the national average by more than tenfold, and poses a considerable concern for Meghalaya,” the statement said.
