Successful health initiative results in long-term commitment to screening India’s rural population

Following a six-month pilot phase, the Asha Jyoti mobile outreach programme is now becoming fully operational in both semi-urban and rural areas of northern India. With a commitment from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, India, RAD-AID International and Philips are to provide education and screening to poor women in India. The Women’s Healthcare Outreach Mobile programme is a population-based screening programme of women aged between 40 and 60 years, which aims to ensure early detection of breast cancer, cervical cancer and osteoporosis, even before the individual has any signs or symptoms. It was established as a model for preventive healthcare for semi-urban and rural areas in northern India and involved the creation of a special mobile outreach van with imaging technology and clinical referral services to efficiently and effectively address multiple care needs. All women who visited the van received results from their tests within 7 to 10 days. Seven women with suspicious mammography findings and 41 women with suspicious colposcopy findings received follow-up testing and treatment, if needed, at PGIMER hospital. The aim now is to screen 2,000–3,000 women every year for at least the next 4–5 years and provide a clear plan for follow-up and further routine screening. The mobile diagnostic imaging technology is a key factor in making primary healthcare available to poor rural communities.

^{RAD-AID conference on International Radiology for Developing Countries at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland , USA.}