India’s social health activists are tackling cancer in rural communities. News feature from polkajunction
It is noon and Darilin Blah is visiting a cancer patient at Mawphlang village, part of the East Khasi Hills district in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya. Darilin is a 48-year-old Accredited Social Health Activist, one of more than 6,000 in the state. Social health activists play a crucial role in providing primary health care services to local communities, acting as an interface between the community and public health system.
Darilin, like many others in Mawphlang village, belongs to the Khasi tribe, one of the earliest ethnic groups to settle the Indian subcontinent. The Khasi are architects of the living root bridges crafted from The patient is a father of eight children, and like Darilin from the Khasi tribe, and he was diagnosed with stage IV carcinoma of the esophagus in September 2022. The diagnosis was made at the Mawphlang Community Health Centre, which caters to 96 villages in and around Mawphlang, when he complained of throat pain and difficulty in swallowing. Among his risk factors for cancer was his addiction to chewing tobacco and areca nut, known locally as duma and kwai.
There is widespread misinformation and lack of awareness among local people about cancer, says supervisor Hindriland Hynniewta, and so the community health center has been conducting awareness campaigns. However, many residents miss the meetings, says Darilin, as the men are away at work and children are at school.Social health activists are paid a small stipend to support the health needs of communities across India.
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