Vedanta Aluminium conducts cancer screening camp in Koraput


Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, conducted a cancer screening camp and awareness campaign at District Headquarters Hospital of Jeypore, Koraput, in association with the Vedanta BALCO Medical Centre (BMC) cancer hospital.

Citizens from the area and nearby districts thronged the free screening camp. A cancer detection van, equipped with various cancer detection tests such as pap smears and oral cytology was deployed across across 40 villages of Jeypore and nearby areas for a week, reaching out to more than 84,000 residents in the process. Doctors from BMC provided free consultation to the citizens, with potential patients being referred to the hospital for further treatment.

The BALCO Medical Centre is one of the most preferred facilities in the country for advanced radiation therapy, brachytherapy, nuclear medicine, surgeries, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, blood-related disorders, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and pain & palliative care.

The hospital offers many latest technologies in cancer diagnostics and treatment like PSMA & DOTA scan, virtual planning and 3D modelling in head & neck cancer surgeries, CRS & HIPEC, advanced microvascular surgeries, lutetium therapy and allogeneic bone marrow transplant. Since inception, BMC has already made a difference to the lives of lakhs of people, dedicating itself to the three important pillars of prevention, screening and treatment.

Speaking about Vedanta Aluminium’s community outreach initiatives, V Srikanth, CEO – Mines, Vedanta Aluminium said, “At Vedanta, community health is an important pillar of our social endeavours. Our health interventions include door-to-door service through mobile health units, health camps, ambulance service, etc. and reach out to the remotest corners of the state, where they are needed the most, thereby improving the quality of life in the region. At the areas where we have our operations, we are proactively undertaking measures to bring about socio-economic transformation in the lives of local communities, in various realms such as sustainable livelihood, quality education, skill development, women’s empowerment and community infrastructure.

Subash Rout, a social worker from the region who attended the camp, said, “Timely detection of cancer can go on to save many lives. Unfortunately, at remote places like Koraput, people do not have access to quality healthcare. Vedanta Aluminium’s screening and awareness camp is a step towards bringing in better health interventions to the region. I thank the company for coming forward with this initiative and creating a positive difference in the lives of the residents here, most of whom cannot afford the testing and treatment costs of this deadly disease.”