Grameen Sneh Foundation, a non-government organisation in the city, started a seven-day e-symposium for cancer patients from Monday.
The symposium will have oncologists and counsellors answering queries of cancer-affected people online. Patients can post their queries on www.facebook.com/grameensnehfoundation.org, www.grameensnehfoundation.org, http://goo.gl/Ojg75H and www.facebook.com/events/156290344056624. Cancer survivors can also share their story on the pages.
"The symposium is open throughout the seven days. People can post their queries anytime and get an answer within two hours," said Sneha Routray (33), president of Grameen Sneh Foundation, who is a cancer survivor herself.
Meenu Walia, director of oncology at Max Hospital, Delhi, Patna-based oncologist J.K. Singh and other doctors will answer the queries.
"The symposium started on Monday and we received around 200 queries from people across the world. People from Spain, Australia and United States have asked questions too," said Routray.
Routray's husband Ganga Kumar, managing director of Bihar State Building Construction Corporation, is helping her with the symposium.
"This symposium is very useful because it saves people from standing in queues for hours to get a doctor's appointment. Cancer survivors can also share their stories," he said. "We are also organising a quiz on the disease. We will distribute certificates of appreciation to people who answer the questions correctly."
Routray said the questions asked also showed how there is very little awareness about the disease.
"A person asked whether physical contact with a skin cancer patient could expose one to the disease. People don't know that cancer is an incommunicable disease. Physical contact does not cause cancer," she said.
Talking about the other initiatives of her seven-year-old organisation, Routray said: "So far, we have conducted tests related to cancer in remote villages of the state. We are planning to hold a camp for cancer detection in states like Odisha, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. We will also organise a programme - Hausla - where cancer survivors walk the ramp. We organised a health and wellness festival in Patna recently, in which doctors and healers from across the country participated."
