Guwahati, May 10: GLP Social Circle, in association with the Shri Hanuman Sewa Nidhi trust, has announced a scheme, Annakut, to provide free lunch to cancer patients and their families attending the outpatient department of the Bhubaneswar Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) from May 15.

The flow of cancer patients to the hospital has been increasing every year. Last fiscal, BBCI registered 11,864 new and 77,457 old cancer patients. Overall, the state had 31,474 new cancer cases in 2015 and about 16,029 patients died of cancer in 2015.

Following in the footsteps of NGOs like GLP Social circle, several other philanthropists have also come forward to provide financial aid to cancer patients. The managing trustee of Lohia Charitable Trust, Kailash Lohia, has committed to donate Rs 3 lakh to BBCI, the managing trustee of Matri Mandir is donating Rs 1 lakh for the nutritional programme, Sankarlal Goenka has given Rs 1 lakh for a community oncology programme while M.P. Agarwala has donated a vehicle to conduct cancer awareness and screening camps.

The chief managing director of Prag News, Sanjive Narain, had earlier donated a van with manpower support for homecare services of cancer patients in the city. The van was flagged off by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on January 18.

According to the population-based Cancer Registry of Indian Council of Medical Research, the incidence of cancer is highest in this part of the country.

The national average incidence of cancer ranges from 90 to 150 new cases per 1 lakh people. However, the rate in Aizawl, 270 per 1 lakh, is the highest in the country followed by 230 per lakh in Papumpare of Arunachal Pradesh, 218 per lakh in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya and 206 per lakh in Kamrup (metro) district.

The relatively higher incidence of cancer in the region is due to excessive tobacco and alcohol consumption, betel nut chewing and dietary ha-bits, which include consumption of smoked meat and fish.

BBCI director Amal Chandra Kataki said: "Approach to cancer treatment should be holistic. Support from family members, volunteers, spiritual leaders, friends, psychologists and social workers. Towards these objectives, BBCI had started various recreational programmes for the patients since the last 10 years and many organisations like GLP Social Circle are supporting us. We have launched a nutritional support programme for children and terminally-ill cancer patients by distributing food products like Assam Mix (a local cereal), milk powder and protein powder."

"The Annakut scheme is another endeavour for their benefit," Kataki added.

Another innovative project for skill development of patients and their families will be started by the institute from May 16 in collaboration with Inner Vision, an NGO.

As part of the project, cancer patients and their family members will be taught how to prepare things like mats, bags, hats and other items out of water hyacinth. The aim is to make them independent and productive and help them regain certain abilities that may have changed after cancer treatment.