• Visually impaired women with the help of their highly tactile senses to perform breast cancer screening • Data from the National Family Health Survey states that only 12.6% women between the age of 15 and 49 in Gurugram have undergone breast examination • Inadequate screening and lack of awareness leads to advanced stage of presentation leading to increased deaths due to breast cancer and poor outcomes of treatments. 25th February 2024; Gurugram: Committed to the betterment of healthcare and society, Medanta Foundation, a part of Medanta Group has launched the SAVERA initiative, introducing Tactile Breast Examination (TBE) to facilitate the early screening and detection of breast cancer. Brought to Medanta by Dr Kanchan Kaur (Senior Director, Breast Care, Cancer Care), TBE is an innovative method of screening for breast cancer in which the highly developed tactile sense of visually impaired women is used to identify even the minutest of abnormalities in the breasts. Speaking about the initiative, Dr Kanchan Kaur (Senior Director, Breast Care, and Cancer Care) said, “At present, 3 out of 4 women, who have joined as Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) will sit at government medical establishment. In time, we hope to expand this cohort of examiners as well as cover more districts. Aligned with Medanta’s holistic approach to healthcare, TBE will not only be provided to those who have come in specifically for screening, but also to patients who come in for other consultations. By adopting this proactive screening approach, early diagnosis and timely treatment improving health outcomes for patients will be possible. At present, it is also important to know that breast cancer is nearly 95% curable if caught early. Therefore, the need for proactive early detection is imperative.” She added, “TBE is a good option for early breast cancer screening. We named the initiative SAVERA because we wanted to symbolise the ‘awakening’ among women with respect to the importance of breast cancer screening.” Mr Pankaj Sahni, Group CEO and Director, Medanta said, “With an increasing number of breast cancer cases being reported at advanced stages, the importance of early detection, diagnosis and treatment cannot be stressed on enough. We have a responsibility to enable our patients to proactively take care of their health and at Medanta we are constantly adopting innovative ways in which we can do so. The SAVERA program is step in this direction, and we are proud to provide the TBE facility to the community.” From the time of inception of this program in India six years ago, these visually impaired girls have been undergoing theoretical training about breast diseases and their examinations at the NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies followed by a 3-month clinical internship under the guidance of Dr Kanchan Kaur at the breast clinic in Medanta Gurugram. About Medanta (Global Health Limited): Founded by Dr. Naresh Trehan, a world-renowned cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeon who has been awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri, the third- and fourth-highest civilian awards in India, and the Dr. B.C. Roy Award in recognition of his distinguished contribution to medicine, Medanta (Global Health Limited) is one of the largest private multi-specialty tertiary care providers operating in the North and East regions of India, with key specialties cardiac science, neurosciences, oncology, digestive and hepatobiliary sciences, orthopaedics, liver transplant, and kidney and urology, according to the report titled “An assessment of the healthcare delivery market in India, September 2022” by CRISIL Limited. Under the “Medanta” brand, the Company has a network of five hospitals currently in operation (Gurugram, Indore, Ranchi, Lucknow, and Patna). Spanning an area of 4.7 million sq. ft., its operational hospitals have 2,571 installed beds as on December 31, 2022. It also has one hospital under-construction in Noida. The Company provides healthcare services in over 30 medical specialties and engages over 1,400 doctors led by highly experienced department heads. About Medanta Foundation: Poor and Needy Patients Welfare Trust is committed to foster preventive healthcare by creating health awareness through early screening and detection, as well as conducting various welfare activities to support needy beneficiaries and communities in achieving their well-being.