Dharmavaram: Andhra Pradesh Health Minister and Dharmavaram MLA Satya Kumar Yadav on Tuesday inaugurated a free medical camp for municipal workers as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivir programme.

The initiative, organised by Samskruti Seva Samithi in collaboration with Vaidehi Super Specialty Hospital, aims to safeguard the health of sanitation workers. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister stressed that municipal workers face high health risks due to their strenuous duties and lack of medical awareness.

“Diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cancer must be detected early through preventive screenings, as delayed diagnosis offers little benefit,” he noted. Yadav highlighted that over 4 crore people in the state are undergoing screenings under NCD 4.0, with ASHA and ANM workers trained for early detection.

He pointed out that India reported 15.6 lakh new cancer cases in 2023, with 8.74 lakh deaths, underscoring the need for mass screening.

Free oral cancer tests for youth, breast cancer screenings for women, and cervical cancer tests for those above 30 are being conducted, as 77% of cancer-related deaths among women are linked to these three diseases. Under the Swast Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan launched by PM Narendra Modi, 48 lakh women in Andhra Pradesh have already availed free health tests.

The Minister also praised the NTR Vaidya Seva Scheme, which provides up to ₹25 lakh free treatment to families across the state.

The camp covered tests for BP, diabetes, cancer, orthopedics, nephrology, gastroenterology, neurology, and ENT for municipal staff.