Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Touching lives: How blind women in India are detecting breast cancer

The findings by Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) are shared with doctors who then determine the need for further assessments

Touching lives: How blind women in India are detecting breast cancer

Visually impaired women are playing a vital role in detecting breast cancer through a groundbreaking training programme in India known as Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs).

One such individual is Ritika Maurya, a 23-year-old trainee MTE at Enable India, a disability rights organisation in Bengaluru.


Despite facing limited mobility due to her blindness during her upbringing, Maurya now embraces her exceptional ability to use touch to identify breast lumps or changes that may indicate cancer, bringing reassurance to anxious women, The Guardian reported.

The method, developed by German gynecologist Dr Frank Hoffmann through his social enterprise called Discovering Hands, was introduced in India in 2017 and has since expanded to other countries.

During examinations, visually impaired MTEs employ braille-marked documentation tapes to meticulously measure each centimeter of the breast.

These thorough examinations, lasting 30-40 minutes, enable the MTEs to detect even the smallest lumps, as small as 6-8mm, surpassing the capabilities of sighted physicians who typically identify larger lumps ranging from 10-20mm.

The findings from these examinations are then shared with doctors who determine the need for further assessments.

Studies conducted by the NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies in Delhi have shown promising results.

Tactile examinations performed by MTEs detected 78% of malignant cancers, with only a 1% miss rate.

Additionally, a 2019 study highlighted the comparable accuracy of examinations conducted by visually impaired MTEs to those carried out by physicians or a combination of both.

Enable India, founded by Shanti Raghavan, has expanded the MTE training to Bengaluru with the objective of making breast cancer screening accessible in every village across India.

Currently, there are 18 trained MTEs in Bengaluru and Delhi, with six employed in cancer hospitals. The programme continues to graduate new trainees, and plans are underway to select the next group of MTEs.

Breast cancer poses a significant health challenge globally and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in India.

Late-stage diagnoses and a lack of awareness contribute to reduced survival rates.

MTEs serve as a valuable tool in combating this issue, offering routine breast cancer screenings in rural and urban communities where mammograms and ultrasound machines may not be readily available.

The involvement of MTEs in urban and rural communities, as well as workplaces, can have a significant impact, particularly in the absence of comprehensive government-run screening programmes.

For Maurya, her visual impairment enhances her tactile abilities, making her an ideal candidate for the role of an MTE. She highlights that women feel more comfortable undressing in the presence of a blind examiner.

With an estimated 15 million visually impaired women in India, of whom only a small percentage have employment opportunities, initiatives like the MTE programme offer a rare chance for individuals like Maurya to showcase their abilities and make meaningful contributions to society.

More For You

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

Supporters of the assisted dying law for terminally ill people hold a banner, on the day British lawmakers are preparing to vote on the bill, in London, Britain, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

PARLIAMENT voted on Friday (20) in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation.

314 lawmakers voted in favour with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017.

Regulator warns Air India over delayed emergency equipment checks: Report

INDIA’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for violating safety rules after three of its Airbus aircraft operated flights without undergoing mandatory checks on emergency escape slides, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued warning notices and a detailed investigation report highlighting the breach. These documents were sent days before the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8, in which all but one of the 242 people onboard were killed. The Airbus incidents are unrelated to that crash.

Keep ReadingShow less
assisted dying bill

Pro and anti-assisted dying campaigners protest ahead of a parliamentary decision later today, on June 20, 2025 in London.

Getty Images

MPs to vote on assisted dying bill amid divided views

UK MPs are set to hold a key vote on assisted dying on Friday, which could either advance or halt a proposed law that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.

The vote follows several hours of debate in the House of Commons and will decide whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny or is dropped altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zhenhao Zou

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed on Thursday after being found guilty of multiple offences. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Chinese student jailed for life for raping women in UK and China

A CHINESE postgraduate student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a London court.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was jailed on Thursday after being found guilty of multiple offences. Police say there is evidence he may have targeted more than 50 other women.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India cuts international flights after deadly crash

Mother (C) of First Officer Clive Kunder, co-pilot of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, mourns after his mortal remains were brought to his residence, in Mumbai. (PTI Photo)

Air India cuts international flights after deadly crash

AIR INDIA said on Wednesday (18) it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15 per cent for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Authorities continue to investigate the crash of flight AI171, which killed 241 people and marked the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.

Keep ReadingShow less