Chandragiri MLA Pulivarthi Nani launches a mobile cancer screening unit at a camp in Naravaripalle on Wednesday. SVIMS director RV Kumar is seen.
The ‘pink bus’ concept introduced by Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) to diagnose and screen cancer among rural women has so far covered 42,000 people in the last nine years by conducting 800 camps.
Two pink buses arrived at Naravaripalle, the ancestral village of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, in Tirupati district on Wednesday for the ‘National Gynecological Cancer Day’ event held at its Community Health Centre.
Director of SVIMS RV Kumar explained the importance of screening to identify cervical cancer through Pap Smear test to prevent its spread.
“SVIMS offers comprehensive cancer care through its Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology departments,” said Dr. Kumar.
Chandragiri MLA Pulivarthi Venkata Mani Prasad (Nani) formally inaugurated the camp and praised SVIMS for taking cancer diagnosis seriously by reaching out to the nooks and crannies of the Rayalaseema region.
Looking beyond breast cancer screening for women, buses have reached out to men and screened them for oral cancer. In fact, the sarpanch of Naravaripalle Sri Lakshmi also joined the camp to motivate other women and got tested.
Published – 11 March 2026 20:41 IST
