Rajahmundry: A visit to Balabhadrapuram, a small, lush green village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, reveals that all is not well with the people. Almost every street in this predominantly agricultural village of about 10,000 people has a cancer case.
The village, which once thrived with agricultural activities and local businesses, is now witnessing a significant demographic shift. Young families are relocating to nearby towns and cities, fearing for their health. Property values have plummeted, affecting the local economy severely. Real estate agents report that houses remain unsold for months, and agricultural land prices have decreased by nearly 40%.
Throat, lung and breast cancers are common in the village. Though there is no official data on the number of cancer patients, the local legislator estimated that at least 200 cases have emerged recently. The cause remains a mystery. The villagers blame the ground water for the cancer spread.
“It’s now nothing short of a ghost village. You may see people here and there, but what you would not know is that many are living with cancer silently fearing social stigma,” said a village elder even as three dozen teams of health department scout through the streets to screen cancer cases.
The village abounds in tales of orphaned children, women losing husbands and mothers caring for sons on death beds. Tatapudi Musalamma (63) has been suffering from bone cancer for the last four years. It was her husband, Tatapudi Raju, who took care of her. But when he too succumbed to cancer, she was left alone to fight the illness and poverty.
In the case of Mallireddy Simhachalam (70), her cancer was diagnosed when she was admitted to hospital for other health issues. All these years her family had hid it, now she is her last stage.
Rice merchant Gorla Govindu (55) was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2014 and later found to have blood cancer too. He died three months back. His Son Venkanna said that two sisters of his father and his elder brother also died with breast and blood cancers respectively. He said that young people were leaving the village and land value had dwindled.
Palleti Veera Lakshmi (55) suffered from diabetes and kidney problems. During dialysis, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After spending almost Rs 3 lakh for treatment in a private hospital, with money becoming a problem, she is now being looked after at home.
Uradasu Simhachalam, a farm labourer, is the sole breadwinner of his family. Cancer crippled him physically and financially – he had spent over Rs 3 lakh so far for his treatment.
Health officials have begun implementing comprehensive measures to investigate the underlying causes of this health crisis. Testing of soil, water, and air samples has been initiated to determine if there are any environmental factors contributing to the high cancer rates.
Local medical practitioners have established a temporary health camp in the village to provide immediate medical assistance and conduct preliminary screenings. They are working in collaboration with specialists from major cancer hospitals in AP to provide better healthcare services to the affected residents.
Director public health Dr Padmavati said that medical staff are conducting an in depth survey. She said that doctors were advised to deal with the family members of the patients sensitively as social stigma prevents many patients from coming forward for screening.