Recently, the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu addressed the 43rd National Conference of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons of India with the theme “Innovate, inspire, integrate”, in Chennai.

The Vice President said that India is the “oral cancer” capital of the world and it is among the top three cancers in India in terms of its incidence. This creates a responsibility for the oral and maxillofacial surgeons not only to treat this disease but also help in preventing the occurrence of oral cancer by increasing anti-tobacco awareness.

Naidu urged the healthcare professionals to encourage people to go for early and regular medical checkups. Lack of early identification and diagnosis often leads to patients seeking care only in the terminal stages. Steps must be taken to reduce the cost of oral & maxillofacial surgery and make it affordable to common man, including those in rural areas.  

Early detection is crucial for any disease, more so for cancer. Although preventive, curative and palliative care programmes have been initiated at national and regional levels, these measures seem to be too negligible for combating the spread of cancer. Unaffordable healthcare is a serious social handicap and Ayushman Bharat scheme would be a real boon to the poor and the needy, he added.