Project SOCH to take on oral cavity cancer in state

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 7

A three-day international live surgical workshop, ENT Conclave, is being organised at the Sri Guru Ram Das University of Health Sciences here. The conference was inaugurated on Friday.

Deputy director of cancer epidemiology centre of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, who is also the general secretary of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS), was the chief guest. Dr Roop Singh, secretary of Sri Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital Trust; vice-chancellor Dr Daljit Singh were guests of honour.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi talked about the rising incidents of cancer in Punjab and how early detection was important. He also launched project “SOCH” (Screening of Oral Cancer and Hygiene), an initiative of the university for early detection and better treatment of oral cavity cancer in India. Dr Chaturvedi said the university has been a pioneer in starting cancer treatment in North India and with the new programme, they aimed to take their campaign to the masses.

Under ‘SOCH’, the university would screen all villages of the state for oral cancer over a period of next five years through regular camps. A mobile app with the same name is being built, said dean Dr AP Singh. Patients can interact with his doctor and see all appointments and progress regarding the disease, he said.

Dr AP Singh said the pre-conference workshops on cochlear implant surgery for deaf and mute by renowned ENT surgeon from Australia Dr Sean Flanagan and ear surgery by famous ENT surgeon Dr Satish Jain from Jaipur were conducted.

Dr Wolfgang Gubisch also flew in from Germany to perform cosmetic nasal surgeries on patients for free. Dr Wolfgang was a pioneer in modern rhinoplasty with many awards to his credit and has trained over 1,000 young doctors in the field, said Dr AP Singh.