Foundation Minute
Posted by Bob Ruehl
on May 15, 2014
Here is your Foundation Minute for the week of May 19.
In Tamil Nadu, India, two doctors, both members of the Rotary Club of Srirangam, discovered an alarming trend in the remote city outskirts of Trichy, women dying of breast cancer.
Drs. K. Govindaraj and K.N. Srinivasan knew that much of the death and suffering could be avoided, and both were motivated by their personal experiences with the disease. Govindaraj watched his mother die of breast cancer a decade earlier, and Dr. Srinivasan, an oncologist, witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of younger patients coming to his clinic with advanced stages of the disease.
According to the National Cancer Registry of India, 20 to 40 women per 100,000 are suffering from breast cancer. And because many women lack the resources to travel to the city, or the $50 fee for proper screening, the doctors needed a unique approach.
Through a Rotary global grant, the men were able to buy and outfit their own “mammobus.” It is supported by local Rotarians and the Rotary Club of Rockville, Maryland, USA and has administered 2,500 free breast cancer screenings.
The mammobus cost $34,000 and is equipped with a mammography machine, an ultrasonogram, and materials that teach the method and importance of self-exams. The Shantha Foundation maintains the vehicle and reaches out to nongovernmental organizations, women’s groups, and employers to arrange visits. The bus stops anywhere a large group of women congregate, with priority given to rural areas.
In many cases, this will be the first doctor these women have ever seen,” This venture is bringing life-saving detection right to their doorsteps.”
Your contribution to the Rotary Foundation has saved many lives. Thank you.