Rajasthan Royals bat for cancer awareness

The Rajasthan Royals, who are raising awareness about early cancer screening, through the Cancer out campaign, on Wednesday got themselves screened at the Birla Cancer Centre at Sawai Man Singh Hospital.

As part of the campaign, skipper Ajinkya Rahane along with his teammates Heinrich Klaasen, Krishnappa Gowtham and Mahipal Lomror on Wednesday got themselves screened in an urge to promote early cancer screening.

“As a player, I think this initiative is a small but crucial step towards a direction of cancer-free society and I hope that we perform to the best of our ability to raise as much awareness as we can,” Rahane said in a statement.

To further generate mass awareness, the Royals will on Friday don the special jersey which has been created with a blend of three colours — pink, teal and burgundy. The three colours symbolise the most profound and common types of cancer — pink for breast cancer, burgundy for oral cancer and teal for cervical cancer.

Rajasthan Royals’ Cancer Out campaign is being run with the support of the state government, National Cancer Grid, Indian Cancer Society and Indian Dental Association in the state.

The Rajasthan government, Tata Trusts and Rajasthan Royals signed a memorandum of understanding to promote early cancer screening. Sawai Man Singh Medical College principal Dr US Agarwal said that Rajasthan ranks sixth in regard to cancer incidents. “With these players promoting early screening of cancer will certainly create awareness among people. In a year, one lakh cancer patients come in OPD, 23,000 cancer patients are admitted and 5000-6000 cancer patients undergo surgeries at SMS hospital.”

However, what the medical staff and doctors saw as a chance to meet the Rajasthan Royals’ players up close and personal soon turned out to be a match of pushing and shoving with the bouncers.

The excited medical staff tried to catch a glimpse of the players, but they alleged that the bouncers stopped the patients, doctors, nursing staff and the media from meeting the players.

The medical staff was asked not to move and was not allowed inside the room, where these players were getting screened.

Another doctor, not willing to be named, said: “The bouncers refused to let us enter the room when we are part of the hospital and screening test.”

Nisha Sharma, who is in-charge of nursing at the Birla Cancer Centre, said, “The bouncers asked me not to go where the players were getting screened. I told them that they have no right to stop me from moving around the hospital and it was my duty to take care of patients.”

She added, “The bouncers should not have misbehaved with patients and hospital staff. We are proud of the Indian players and nobody would have caused them any harm.”

Birla Cancer Centre head of the department Dr Sandeep Jasuja said “I don’t know about the bouncers misbehaving with patients and hospital staff, as I was inside the room screening the players. If it has happened then it is wrong and should not have happened.”

Rajeev Khanna, vice-president of Rajasthan Royals, apologised for the behaviour of bouncers. “I am sorry for any inconvenience caused by the bouncers,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Dr Sandeep Jasuja, bone marrow transplant and cancer expert said in west 100% people get themselves screened for cancer and in 80% of people, cancer is detected at early stage and chances of getting cured his high. While in India, 80% people come to hospital at the last stage of cancer and all the doctors could do is take give palliative care and extend their life for some more time. He said cancer cannot be stopped, but with early detection the mortality can be stopped.