A long wait has finally come to an end. Jammu and Kashmir has declared cancer a notifiable disease. A notification has already been issued in this regard. Earlier, eighteen states declared cancer a notifiable disease. The precedent was set by Tripura, which became the first to press the button in 2008. Post notification, the Jammu and Kashmir government has formed a Comprehensive Cancer Care Strategy to create an integrated, accessible and technology-enabled ecosystem. Prepared by the Health and Medical Education Department in consultation with leading oncology experts and national institutions, the plan envisages a holistic framework covering cancer prevention, early detection, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, research, capacity building and digital health interventions. The government has also partnered with Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, for technical guidance, feasibility and effective execution of the cancer care plan. Cancer is emerging as a major public health challenge in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Population-Based Cancer Registry, 50551 cases were reported in Kashmir and 13912 in Jammu between 2018 and 2024. The UT is witnessing a 2 to 3 percent increase in cancer cases annually. Around 10,000 cancer cases were registered across SKIMS, Soura, GMC Jammu, and GMC Srinagar in 2025. In the last three years, SKIMS alone recorded over 16,000 cases. Nearly 5,108 cases were registered at SKIMS Soura in 2023, 5,387 in 2024, and 5,791 in 2025. 1,767 cases were registered in 2023 at GMC Jammu, followed by 2,206 in 2024, and 2,569 in 2025. At GMC Srinagar, 1,159 cases were registered in 2022, 1,640 in 2023, 1,659 in 2024, and 1,558 in 2025. Sensing the problem, the National Health Mission has formed a Steering Committee-cum-State Cancer Registry Coordination Unit to establish a robust Population-Based Cancer Registry and Hospital-Based Cancer Registry network across Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative would facilitate systematic collection of cancer incidence data, strengthen disease surveillance and support evidence-based planning under the National Cancer Registry Programme. The government has also initiated a process to ink a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Bengaluru, for technical support in establishing a modern cancer registry system. The government also plans to set up advanced Molecular Oncology Laboratories across Government Medical Colleges equipped with modern technologies including molecular pathology, immunohistochemistry, genomic profiling and next-generation sequencing. The proposals and plans look good on paper. The challenge will be to implement it on the ground. The government needs to augment the facilities in district and sub-district hospitals. This will make the fight easy. Patients from far-flung areas do not have the means to reach the cities for tests and treatment. Unless we create facilities at their doorsteps, the fight against cancer will not yield desired results. The government should also consider providing free treatment for poor patients in private hospitals. It should pay the treatment bills without bureaucratic red tape.
Cancer care
