Kauvery Hospital pledges to provide free screenings for breast cancer to ten thousand women within three years

A four day cricket tournament was organized to raise awareness on breast cancer

  • The tournament (from 13th to 16th Oct) had over 35 corporate teams competing against each other.
  • Egger bagged the winner trophy while Salcom won the runner trophy at the final match held at M.A Chidambaram Stadium.

Chennai, 16th October 2022: Kauvery Hospital, one of the leading healthcare chains in Tamil Nadu, organized a corporate cricket tournament to focus attention on October, the breast cancer awareness month, and to raise awareness about prevention and early detection of breast cancer. The institution pledged to provide free screenings for breast cancer to ten thousand women within three years across South India.

The tournament in league format was held over 4 days at Chennai, from 13th to 16th October 2022. The preliminary, quarter finals and semi finals were held at YMCA and St Bede’s while the final match was at the renowned MA Chidambaram Stadium. Over 35 corporate teams, representing institutions such as TCS, Cognizant, Infosys, Accenture, to name a few took part in the tournament. Egger bagged the winner trophy while Salcom won the runner up at the tournament.

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer affecting women, even those as young as 22 years of age. It accounts for about 25% of total cancers among women. Lower survival rates can be attributed to the lack of awareness among the population about periodical screening and tests to detect breast cancer early. It is important to be aware that breast cancer can be treated and survival rates can be improved with early detection.

Speaking on the occasion of the final match, Ms Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi, Film Director , said “The awareness on breast cancer is not just for women, but also for men. By understanding prevention and early detection of breast cancer, men can spread the knowledge to their family and friends. Also, women should come forward for screenings to help detect the cancer at the early stages. I appreciate Kauvery Hospital on bringing this awareness through a Corporate Cricket Tournament, thereby reaching a wider scale of public. My wishes to the team for reaching out to more women for the free breast cancer screenings.”

“Early detection and prevention of breast cancer awareness has been made time and again. Our vision is to provide access to regular screenings and assessments for women from both rural and urban areas. The Mammo Bus which was launched in 2019, has toured across different regions in Tamil Nadu providing free breast cancer screenings to women, thus heling them detect the cancer in its early phase. We aim to continue this initative and reach out to more women across South India, thereby spreading the awareness on breast cancer,” says Dr Manivannan Selvaraj , Founder and Managing Director Kauvery Group of Hospitals.

“Unlike other cancers, the symptoms of breast cancer can be detected through regular self-examination, where women can detect changes in the breast that call for seeking medical advice. However, the awareness on self-examinations and access to screenings are still lacking.

With the advancements in treatments for Breast Cancer, early detection is crucial. We would like to bridge this gap by making screenings for breast cancer accessible for women from different walks of life, and at locations such as corporates, colleges, rural areas etc. For every 1 lakh women screened for breast cancer, the mortality rate i,.e deaths related to breast cancer reduces by 25%. We believe our pledge to reach out to maximum number of women through the mobile mammogram van can help make a difference in the survival rate. I congratulate and appreciate all the teams who showed their enthusiasm in the tournament. I also extend my gratitude to the change makers of the society by actively supporting the tournament,” says Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co Founder and Executive Director Kauvery Hospital Chennai

“Every year during October, the need to create awareness on early detection of breast cancer has been our prime focus. Through an initiative such as a Corporate Cricket Tournament, we hope to paint this theme on a wider canvas. We are also proud to mention that we are the first healthcare institution to organize a match in the iconic M.A Chidambaram Stadium. I thank the corporate teams for taking part in this noble cause, and making an impact, by saving lives. We believe it is the responsibility of both men and women to spread the awareness on breast cancer prevention and early detection. Through this initiative we have pledged to provide free mammogram screenings for 1 lakh women across South India within the next three years,” says Dr. Iyappan Ponnuswamy, Medical Director, Kauvery Hospital Chennai.

On the sidelines of the tournament a Mammogram Van was stationed at YMCA for three days to provide free mammogram screenings for women. The tournament was sponsored by Suryan FM, Karaikudi Chettinad Restaurant, Sports Land, Nestle India, Vikatan Media.