Vedanta Lanjigarh builds awareness on cancer prevention and mitigation in rural Odisha
20th November 2023
- Three-day free cancer screening camp conducted across Lanjigarh and Bhawanipatna
Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha, 20th November, 2023 – Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina, recently organised a three-day cancer screening drive in Lanjigarh to generate wider awareness about cancer detection and treatment. The drive was launched on the occasion of National Cancer Awareness Day (November 7). It was undertaken in association with the BALCO Medical Centre (BMC) – one of India’s foremost cancer hospitals, known for providing world-class cancer care at an affordable cost.
As part of the camp, a mobile cancer screening van was deployed to facilitate several important tests including mammography, Pap Smear Test (PEP) and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) test. Other tests screening for uterine, cervix and oral cancer were also a part of the camp. Additionally, those in need of further tests were referred to BMC for treatment.
The drive was flagged off by Mr. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, CEO – Alumina Business, Vedanta Ltd. along with Dr Prabhakar Gupta, Radiation Oncologist from BALCO Medical Centre, at the Vedanta Hospital in Lanjigarh, one of the foremost multi-speciality hospitals in the region. The camp was also graced by prominent community stakeholders like Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Nayak, Vice Chairman, Lanjigarh Block, Mr. Parikhita Naik, Zila Parishad member, Lanjigarh Block, and Ms. Saraswati Munda, Sarpanch of Lanjigarh Panchayat. Over 200 people from the local community availed of the free healthcare services during the three-day screening drive.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, CEO – Alumina Business, Vedanta Ltd. – said, “The holistic development of our neighbouring communities is a vital aspect of our growth aspirations. This is reflected in our deep developmental initiatives spanning education, healthcare, livelihood, skill development, infrastructure, sports and culture, touching over 1,25,000 lives across 67 villages in Lanjigarh and beyond. Through this screening drive, we aim to further bolster the healthcare ecosystem through enhanced community awareness”.
Dr Ranjan Mitra, Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer, Kalahandi added, “Certain cancers are preventable, and many are curable with effective treatment at an early stage. Screening helps to detect initial signs of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions before any prominent symptoms appear. We appreciate and thank Vedanta Aluminium for organizing these screening camps, especially among vulnerable community members”.
The BALCO Medical Centre is a leader in India’s oncology space with comprehensive facilities for surgical, radiation, haematological, BMT and palliative care. A state-of-the-art, 170-bed ultra-modern, multi-modality diagnostic and therapeutic facility, it is based in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Since inception, BMC has served the healthcare needs of thousands of patients, addressing existing gaps in cancer treatment, awareness, infrastructure and expertise.
Vedanta Lanjigarh has also been supporting the local communities through several additional healthcare initiatives, including:
- Vedanta Hospital: This hospital is a state-of-the-art medical facility, well equipped with experienced doctors, physiotherapists and visiting specialists, and 24X7 ambulance service for referrals. Over 60,000 people visit the Vedanta Hospital every year.
- Maa Santoshi Jankalyan Hospital: Supported by Vedanta Lanjigarh, it caters to the needs of 9 Gram Panchayats within the Bankakundru region. This area is situated in the remote fringes of Lanjigarh Block, making the hospital’s role all the more crucial.
- MHU (Mobile Health Unit): A customized vehicle that brings free primary healthcare services to people in under-served areas. Since its inception in 2006, it has delivered healthcare services to over 23000 people across 61 villages.
- Cataract Camps: For more than a decade, Vedanta Lanjigarh has been organizing annual cataract camps in collaboration with the renowned eye hospital Netra Chikitsalaya Lepra Society, Sonepur. In FY23 alone, over 1100 people have benefitted from the project.
- Pehli Udaan: This initiative aims to promote better menstrual health and hygiene practices among rural women by helping them break cultural stigmas. It focuses on enhancing community access to quality menstrual hygiene products, and has benefitted over 3000 women and adolescent girls in FY24.
- Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan – Launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), Government of India, the program aims to provide assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care, free of cost, universally to all pregnant women. Vedanta Hospital in Lanjigarh organizes a PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan) Program on the 9th of every month.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
