More women are suffering from cancer in uterus, lungs and breasts, and their number surpasses that of male cancer victims, according to figures provided by the District Public Health Office. The office's four-year data shows that 16 cancer cases were detected in women compared to nine in men.
"Misuse of emergency contraceptive pills by adolescent girls has been identified as one of the major cauuses of cancer," said the District Public Health Officer Sharad Baral.
While the preference of son is still high among the locals, the women, either semi-literate or illiterate, are rampantly using the emergency pills as the alternative to abortion and this misuse has also exposed them to cancer, Baral added.
At the same time, unhealthy lifestyle, prevalence of smoking, tobacco consumption and poor access to nutrition significantly increases the risk of cancer, Baral said.
To provide some relief to the cancer patients, a district-level civil treatment and relief committee has been set up in coordination with the chief district officer and this committee, which provides recommendation letters to the patients. Patients who reach the hospital with a recommendation letter from the committee get treatment worth Rs 100,000 for free. This cost is borne by the government.
According to Dr Baral, 16 women and 9 men have been referred to various cancer hospitals over the last four years.
Among the 25, five patients each of breast cancer and lung cancer and three of blood cancer have been referred to the cancer hospitals based in Bhaktapur, Bharatpur and Kathmandu respectively.
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