LEH : Union Territory Ladakh will conduct a vaccine drive against cervical cancer and it will be open to all eligible women. In a press conference, Ladakh Health Principal Secretary Dr. Pawan Kotwal said three doses of vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in Ladakh will be administered to 15- 18 age groups of women. He said, cancer instances are a cause of concern along with general anemia among the women in Ladakh. He said, preventive cancers like cervical and breast cancer could be avoided with vaccines and awareness. He informed, district Hospitals in Leh and Kargil will shortly have mammography machines to test breast cancer instances in Ladakh.
Dr. Kotwal said, NFHS survey revealed that over 90 percent of the population is suffering from anemia in Ladakh. He said, anemia instances are due to lack of fresh vegetables for nearly six months in Ladakh. He said, to overcome this problem, UT Administration has decided to supply fortified food grains, Atta in addition to ICDS and Midday Meal schemes for the children in Anganwadis and Schools, through the Public Distribution System in Ladakh.
