CAPED’s breast cancer screening programme in Mysuru, Karnataka, has moved from planning to implementation following permission from the State Health Department on 1 September.
The groundwork for the programme began with a comprehensive PHC Gap Assessment, the findings of which were shared with district and state authorities to inform programme planning. CAPED also worked closely with government stakeholders, including the District Surveillance Officer’s office and Arogya Soudha, to establish the necessary approvals and institutional support.
With government permission in place, screening began at Yelawala PHC, before shifting to Koorgali Sub-Centre on 16 September. Community mobilisation is being carried out with ASHA workers and the local health-system team to build awareness and encourage women to participate in screening.
Having screened over 300 women across two PHCs in Mysuru, the programme is now working to reach more communities. Strengthening frontline capacity is an important part of this effort. On 21–22 September, Ravi Sisodia, National Head, Implementation (Operations), CAPED, conducted a two-day training for 57 ASHA workers from Yelawala and Sagarkatte PHCs. The training focused on breast cancer awareness, community mobilisation and screening, equipping ASHA workers with the knowledge and skills to encourage more women to come forward for screening. Patient navigation has also begun, with women identified through the programme receiving support with referrals and follow-up as needed.
With the early building blocks now in place, government partnership, trained frontline workers, community mobilisation, screening and patient navigation, the Mysuru programme is beginning to establish a community-based pathway for breast cancer screening and follow-up.
Across our field programmes, partnerships are translating into more awareness, more screening and greater access to prevention services in communities.