Vadodara: At an age when most teenagers would be juggling between classes, studies, gadgets and spending time with friends, this girl from Vadodara has decided to put up a fight against cervical cancer which has emerged as a major health concern among women.
Seventeen-year-old Prisha Patel wants to ensure that women get tested for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which is responsible for around 95% of cervical cancer cases.
So far, she has ensured that 100 women in the city undergo PAP smear test at different institutions and organizations. She is now on a mission to persuade corporates to join the drive for testing of their employees as well as other women who stay in the areas where they operate.
Prisha came to know of the gravity of cervical cancer when she was vaccinated. She belongs to a family of medical professionals and said that coming from such a background made her aware of the situation, but that was not the case with others.
Her concern was not misplaced given the fact that the prevalence of cervical cancer in the country is pegged at 18 per population of one lakh while the death toll stood at 11.4 per lakh population.
After a series of awareness drives and floating her non-profit christened Cervishield, Prisha conducted the first testing drive at the nursing home of her parents. As it transpired, one woman employee there had precancerous lesions. “The woman underwent hysterectomy and further unfortunate developments could be avoided. This was an eye-opener and motivated me to do more,” she said. Two more camps were conducted at the M S University (MSU) health centre and the Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya. The samples were collected by Prisha’s mother Dr Bhavna Patel who is a gynaecologist even as the tests were sponsored by the Maharani Shantadevi Trust of the royal Gaekwad family of the erstwhile Baroda state.
A prominent diagnostic laboratory chain agreed to provide the test kits and conduct the tests at an extremely subsidized rate of Rs 500. “The test otherwise costs around Rs 2,800 or even more. With even this Rs 500 being sponsored, the beneficiaries bear no cost for the tests,” said Prisha.
Prisha will now be conducting an awareness drive at her school.
Seventeen-year-old Prisha Patel wants to ensure that women get tested for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which is responsible for around 95% of cervical cancer cases.
So far, she has ensured that 100 women in the city undergo PAP smear test at different institutions and organizations. She is now on a mission to persuade corporates to join the drive for testing of their employees as well as other women who stay in the areas where they operate.
Prisha came to know of the gravity of cervical cancer when she was vaccinated. She belongs to a family of medical professionals and said that coming from such a background made her aware of the situation, but that was not the case with others.
Her concern was not misplaced given the fact that the prevalence of cervical cancer in the country is pegged at 18 per population of one lakh while the death toll stood at 11.4 per lakh population.
After a series of awareness drives and floating her non-profit christened Cervishield, Prisha conducted the first testing drive at the nursing home of her parents. As it transpired, one woman employee there had precancerous lesions. “The woman underwent hysterectomy and further unfortunate developments could be avoided. This was an eye-opener and motivated me to do more,” she said. Two more camps were conducted at the M S University (MSU) health centre and the Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya. The samples were collected by Prisha’s mother Dr Bhavna Patel who is a gynaecologist even as the tests were sponsored by the Maharani Shantadevi Trust of the royal Gaekwad family of the erstwhile Baroda state.
A prominent diagnostic laboratory chain agreed to provide the test kits and conduct the tests at an extremely subsidized rate of Rs 500. “The test otherwise costs around Rs 2,800 or even more. With even this Rs 500 being sponsored, the beneficiaries bear no cost for the tests,” said Prisha.
Prisha will now be conducting an awareness drive at her school.
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