Summary of Women’s Health and Cancer Screening Project, 2019-2020, Dang, Gujarat State, India.
Unified Healthcare for the Rural Underserved (UHRU.ORG) worked with Gram Seva Trust, Kharel, Gujarat, India in Hilly Dang district. This district is a tribal area with minimal healthcare facilities. Additionally, many women in the area lack awareness of health issues, have lower education levels and experience poverty and transportation issues. There is also a high prevalence of genetic disorders like sickle cell anemia and other disorders endemic in tribes of Dang district of Gujarat, India.
The tribal people have far worse health indicators than the general population. Most tribal people live in remote rural hamlets in hilly, forested or desert areas where illiteracy, trying physical environments, malnutrition, inadequate access to potable water, and lack of personal hygiene and sanitation make them more vulnerable to disease. Not surprisingly, tribal people suffer illnesses of greater severity and duration, with women and children being the most vulnerable.
Our goal for this project was to identify reproductive tract infections, menstrual abnormalities, breast pathology, non-communicable diseases, anemia and sickle cell diseases among tribal women through a mass screening approach.
Tribal women from 98 villages were screened for breast and cervical cancer, hypertension, diabetes, anemia and sickle cell anemia.
To read or download the full summary, see the attached document.