The cancer screening camp is organised by Abhyuday- IIT B’s social festival and would be conducted by the Cancer Patients Aid Association(CPAA) on January 20
A poster put up to inform female students about a free cancer screening session at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay(IIT-B) has upset female students and research scholars at the institute as the screening drive is open to only ‘35-plus married women’.
The cancer screening camp is organised by Abhyuday- IIT B’s social festival and would be conducted by the Cancer Patients Aid Association(CPAA) on January 20. The organisers of the festival have put up posters of the camp across the campus. As per the poster, women will be screened for Oral, Uterine, Cervical and breast cancer. The catch however is, that only ‘35 plus married women’ can be a part of the screening- a condition. This has upset a lot of female students on campus.
An angry student took to Facebook with a photo of the poster. “IIT-B, please take off this ridiculous regressive messaging which is placed within your campus. Institutions of science and technology shouldn’t be promoting this kind of mindset.
Unmarried women also get cancer.” read the post which got several comments and shares by fellow students. A female research scholar from the institute said “It is bizarre that women younger than 35 are not allowed to be a part of the screening. Younger women do run the risks of getting cancer.”
Abhyudaya Hadulkar, Events Manager of the social festival said, “We were told gynaecology tests cannot be done on unmarried women as there is no way to check to check whether they are sexually active or not. While the initial condition was 40 plus, we later brought it down to 35 to accommodate more women”.
Anita Peter, Executive Director, CPAA said “There are two reasons: First, we are screening hundred women free of cost and thus need to keep some cap so that those who are most vulnerable are benefited. Second, the screening involves tests like Pap Smear which are not conducted on women who are not sexually active”.
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