MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj emphasises – cancer should not be a railway ticket to Delhi

MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj launches cancer awareness sessions across Meerut, telling families about free oral & cervical cancer screening for everyone 30 & above

MEERUT, UTTAR-PRADESH, INDIA, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — MEERUT, UTTAR PRADESH, 12th Nov, 2026 — MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj, Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from the Meerut–Ghaziabad Local Authorities constituency, today launched a city-wide cancer awareness campaign in Meerut. The campaign will inform families about free screening for oral, breast and cervical cancer at government health facilities, and about the treatment support available under national schemes.

The campaign forms part of Healthy Meerut, the MLC’s health awareness drive. Over the coming months, the MLC’s office will hold awareness sessions with women’s groups, residents’ welfare associations, schools and workplaces across the city, with a particular focus on reaching women and on reducing tobacco use.

“Cancer should not be a railway ticket to Delhi,” said MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj. “For most families, the first step, screening, is free and close to home. When cancer is caught early, treatment is simpler, cheaper and far more likely to succeed. That is the message we want to carry into every home in Meerut.”

FREE SCREENING FOR THREE COMMON CANCERS

Under the national programme for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, people aged 30 and above can be screened for oral, breast and cervical cancer. These are among the most common cancers in India, and all three can be detected early through simple checks carried out by trained health workers. Screening is free at government health facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and NCD clinics.

The programme has built an extensive network of facilities across the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 770 District NCD Clinics, 372 District Day Care Centres and 6,410 NCD clinics at Community Health Centres have been set up nationally.
MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj said many people delay screening because they are afraid of the result. “Fear keeps many people away from the test,” he said. “But the test does not create the disease; it only finds it while it can still be treated easily. Knowing early is always better than knowing late.”

TREATMENT MOVING CLOSER TO HOME

The Union Budget 2025-26 announced the setting up of Day Care Cancer Centres in all district hospitals over three years, with 200 centres planned for 2025-26. By July 2025, 297 new Day Care Cancer Centres had been approved for that year. These centres bring services such as chemotherapy and counselling closer to patients, reducing the need for repeated long journeys during treatment.

For eligible families, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana provides cashless hospital treatment of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year at empanelled hospitals, and cancer treatment is covered under the scheme. Every citizen aged 70 or above is entitled to an Ayushman Vay Vandana card, regardless of income.

“When a family hears the word cancer, its first fear is often the cost,” said MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj. “We want every eligible family in Meerut to know, well before any diagnosis, that cashless treatment is available to them.”

WHAT THE SESSIONS WILL COVER

The awareness sessions will explain who should be screened, how often, and where screening is available in and around Meerut City. They will describe what happens at each check, so that no one stays away out of fear of the unknown: a look inside the mouth for oral cancer, an examination by a trained health worker for breast cancer, and a simple examination carried out in privacy for cervical cancer.

The sessions will also cover early warning signs that should prompt a visit to a doctor, including a mouth ulcer that does not heal, a lump in the breast, or unusual bleeding. Women attending the sessions will be shown how to check themselves regularly at home.
The office said each session would include a desk to help families check their Ayushman eligibility, and that all services at the sessions would be free.

A SPECIAL FOCUS ON WOMEN

Breast and cervical cancer are among the most common cancers in women in India, and both are far easier to treat when detected early. The office said the campaign would give particular attention to reaching women, with women volunteers present at every session and private spaces for questions.
“In many families, a mother looks after everyone’s health except her own,” said MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj. “I appeal to every woman in Meerut over the age of 30 to get herself screened, and to bring her sister, her daughter and her mother along.”

TACKLING TOBACCO

Tobacco in any form, chewed or smoked, is the leading cause of oral cancer. The sessions will encourage tobacco users to quit and will reach young people in colleges and workplaces with information on the risks.
“If one young man in Meerut gives up gutka after one of our sessions, the session has been worth it,” said MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj. “Quitting at any age lowers the risk.”

SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES

The office said the sessions would also share guidance for families supporting a relative through cancer treatment, including help with appointments, medicines and diet, and the importance of caring for the mental health of both patient and carer. Families who are struggling emotionally will be told about Tele-MANAS, the national tele-mental health helpline, which offers free counselling on 14416.

ABOUT MLC DHARMENDRA BHARDWAJ
Dharmendra Bhardwaj is a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from the Meerut–Ghaziabad Local Authorities constituency. He was elected on 12 April 2022. Members for Local Authorities constituencies are elected by the elected representatives of local bodies, and his work connects the councils, panchayats and municipal bodies of Meerut and Ghaziabad with the state government.
He comes from village Ikdi in Sardhana tehsil of Meerut district. He began his working life as a chemistry teacher in 1992 and completed an M.Sc. at N.A.S. College, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, in 1997.
Education has remained at the centre of his public life. He has been Chancellor of Motherhood University, Roorkee, since 2019, and is Chairperson of Mahaveer Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital, Meerut. He is also a member of the executive councils of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, and Maa Shakumbhari University, Saharanpur.
In his constituency work, he concentrates on civic services, health and welfare awareness, youth employment and Meerut’s sports-goods economy.

Dharmendra Bhardwaj
Member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative council
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