There is a particular kind of courage in walking towards a health check-up you're hearing about for the first time, in a van you've never seen, for a test no one in your family has ever talked about.
On 5 June 2026, women in Pimpri Pendhar, a small village in Junnar Taluka, Pune district, chose to take that step. And MOC Cancer Care Foundation was there to meet them with open arms, the right expertise, and a simple promise: your health matters, and we're here to help you act on it.
This is the story of how one community came together to take a meaningful step towards earlier detection and better health outcomes.
A Landmark Moment for Early Detection
Some partnerships expand what is possible.
For the first time, MOC Cancer Care Foundation received support from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Government of Maharashtra, to organise a free cancer screening camp in collaboration with MOC Cancer Care & Research Centre.
For us, this represents far more than funding. It reflects growing recognition that community- based early detection can play a critical role in improving cancer outcomes and strengthens our ability to bring life-saving screening services directly to underserved communities.
The day carried even greater significance with the presence of Shri Sharaddada Bhimaji Sonawane, MLA for the Junnar Assembly constituency. He visited the camp, stepped inside our mobile screening van, and took the time to see our work up close, reflecting the importance of collaboration between local leadership and grassroots healthcare delivery.
Bringing Early Detection to the Doorstep
On 5 June, our mobile screening van rolled into Pimpri Pendhar carrying everything needed to deliver two essential screening services, completely free of cost and right in the heart of the village.
Women had access to:
Mammography Screening – a low-dose X-ray that can detect breast cancer at an early stage, often before symptoms appear.
Pap Smear Testing – a simple screening test that can identify early cervical changes long before cervical cancer develops.
No long commutes. No lost wages. No waiting weeks for an appointment.
Just care, brought directly to the community.
In India, many breast and cervical cancers continue to be diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment becomes more complex, and outcomes are poorer. Early detection can change that story. Screening creates the opportunity to identify concerns sooner, seek timely treatment, and improve the chances of better health outcomes.
When Curiosity Turned Into Action
By the end of the day, 81 women across Pimpri Pendhar had taken a screening test many had never had the chance to access before.
Much of that courage was nurtured well before the van even arrived, by Sunandatai Durgude, our local Arogya Sevika. Her deep roots in the community, patient door-to-door coordination, and tireless presence throughout the day meant that by the time the screening began, many women already felt at ease, supported by someone they knew and trusted. Her contribution, alongside our healthcare and field teams, was central to making the day a success.
What stays with our team isn't just that number; it's everything that led up to it. Many women arrived with quiet curiosity, and we met that curiosity with patience and warmth. For some, this was the first time words like "breast self-check" and "cervical screening" were spoken openly in their community, a conversation we felt honoured to be part of starting. Our healthcare professionals and field team spent the day doing the most meaningful work of all: sitting with women, listening without judgment, answering every question with care, and using simple, accessible IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials to explain what these tests are, why they matter, and how early detection genuinely saves lives.
Slowly, curiosity turned into confidence. And confidence turned into action, 81 times over.
That is the real story of this camp: not fear overcome, but knowledge embraced and shared.
Not women waiting to be saved, but women stepping forward, informed and empowered, to take charge of their own health, on their own terms.To every woman who walked into that van that day: thank you for trusting us. Your courage is the heart of everything this camp stood for.
The Role We Are Proud to Play
This is exactly the work MOC Cancer Care Foundation exists to do: bringing awareness, early detection, and timely access to care closer to communities.
We do not simply provide screening services. We build trust, create safe spaces for conversations about health, and help people feel informed enough to take action. We work at the intersection of community engagement, clinical expertise, and public health, ensuring that awareness translates into meaningful action.
Because when one woman understands the importance of screening, that knowledge often reaches her daughter, sister, friend, and neighbour.
That is how change spreads.
Why This Is Just the Beginning
One village.
One screening camp.
Eighty-one women chose to take action for their health.
This is what community-rooted, government-supported preventive healthcare looks like in practice.
If this is what is possible in a single day, imagine what can happen when more communities have access to awareness, screening, and early detection services.
For the MOC Cancer Care Foundation, this is only the beginning.
Together with government bodies, healthcare institutions, partners, and communities, we remain committed to bringing early cancer detection closer to the people who need it most.
Because every woman deserves the opportunity to act early.
