Campaign to raise awareness for childhood cancer

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) A new campaign seeks to raiseawareness about cancer in children and engage stakeholders toformulate friendlier policies to fight the disease. The initiative ‘GO GOLD’ India campaign led by childhoodcancer survivors under the city-based NGO CanKids..Kidscanwill start off with the state of Uttar Pradesh, where theyhope to adopt the ‘Gold Ribbon’ as the universal symbol ofhope, health, awareness and solidarity with kids with cancer. It is in line with a global initiative of the same nameunder which several iconic monuments and installations acrossthe world went Gold as part of a programme to raise childhoodcancer awareness. Since September is the childhood cancer awareness month,the initiative which will kick start on the 1st of the month,will seek to make the Taj Mahal Go Gold. A 5-day car rally to Agra via Noida, Lucknow, Allahabadand Kanpur will create community and grass root levelawareness en route through state and national level media andpublicity. According to the NGO, even though India accounts for 20per cent of the new childhood cancer cases diagnosedworldwide, not enough attention is given to awareness,detection, drugs and treatment development of childhood canceras compared to adult cancer. "The campaign hopes to ensure that childhood cancerbecomes a child health priority in India and will engage allstakeholders including hospitals, nurses, parents, schools,colleges and the government," says NGO Chairman Poonam Baig,who is herself a cancer survivor. The initiative also aims to raise survival rates in Indiawhere only 40 per cent kids with cancer survive against theglobal average of 95 per cent. Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 8,000 to 10,000 new casesof childhood cancer each year, out which not more than 2,000receive treatment. "The campaign aims to advocate to policy makers that thereshould be fully equipped infrastructure, trained paediatriconcology staff, dedicated paediatric oncology centres andquality treatment and drugs," says Baig. "The state government was expanding cancer treatmentfacilities, including those for children, and in the comingtimes oncology facilities would improve further in Lucknow,Noida, Saifai and Gorakhpur," says Anup Pandey, UP PrincipalSecretary (Medical Education). PTI TRSTRS