J&K plans statewide cancer registry, advanced oncology facilities

Ziraat Times News Desk

Srinagar, Jul 13: The Jammu & Kashmir government is formulating a comprehensive Cancer Care Strategy to strengthen cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment across the Union Territory through an integrated, technology-driven healthcare network.

The roadmap was reviewed on Monday by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo during a high-level meeting, where he directed the Health & Medical Education Department to implement the strategy in a phased, time-bound manner with clearly defined outcomes and institutional coordination.

The proposed strategy, prepared in consultation with leading oncology experts and national institutions, envisages a comprehensive framework covering cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, research, capacity building and digital health interventions.

Describing cancer as an emerging public health challenge, Dulloo called for a coordinated, evidence-based and patient-centric response to improve health outcomes across Jammu & Kashmir. He stressed the need to establish a robust preventive oncology framework across all Government Medical Colleges to promote early detection and timely intervention.

The Chief Secretary also directed the department to strengthen specialist manpower and healthcare infrastructure by training Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)-certified personnel and other oncology specialists while upgrading diagnostic and treatment facilities across government medical colleges to reduce patients’ dependence on healthcare institutions outside the Union Territory.

He instructed that the strategy should be implemented in phases to ensure equitable distribution of oncology facilities across Jammu & Kashmir and asked each expert committee constituted under the strategy to prepare detailed implementation plans. These plans, he said, would be examined and harmonised by the Apex Committee chaired by Dr Sudeep Gupta, Director, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai.

Highlighting the collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre, Dulloo said the partnership would help the Union Territory adopt national best practices, receive technical guidance and accelerate implementation of the cancer care roadmap.

Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Akriti Sagar, informed the meeting that a Steering Committee-cum-State Cancer Registry Coordination Unit has already been constituted to establish a Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) and Hospital-Based Cancer Registry (HBCR) network across Jammu & Kashmir.

She said the registry would facilitate systematic collection of cancer incidence data, strengthen disease surveillance and support evidence-based planning under the National Cancer Registry Programme.

The meeting was also informed that following the notification declaring cancer a notifiable disease in Jammu & Kashmir, the government has initiated the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Bengaluru, for technical support in establishing a modern cancer registry system.

Officials reviewed the existing oncology infrastructure, including the State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College Jammu, SKIMS Soura, Government Medical College Srinagar, AIIMS Vijaypur, newly established Government Medical Colleges and district-level Day Care Chemotherapy Centres established under the National Health Mission.

The proposed strategy also includes establishment of advanced Molecular Oncology Laboratories in Government Medical Colleges equipped with molecular pathology, immunohistochemistry, genomic profiling and next-generation sequencing technologies. Proposals have already been submitted to the Indian Council of Medical Research under the DiaMONDs Project for setting up such laboratories in selected medical colleges.

To improve early diagnosis, the roadmap proposes phased establishment of mammography units, PET-CT scanners, MRI facilities, gamma cameras and endoscopy services across the Union Territory.

The meeting also reviewed proposals to expand radiotherapy infrastructure, strengthen surgical oncology services, establish additional Bone Marrow Transplant and Stem Cell Transplant facilities and create multidisciplinary oncology teams in major tertiary healthcare institutions.

The strategy further envisages extensive public awareness campaigns through print, electronic and digital media, schools, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Anganwadi Centres and community platforms to promote awareness about cancer risk factors, early warning signs, screening services and healthy lifestyle practices.

According to officials, the Cancer Care Strategy aims to build an integrated continuum of care spanning prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and research, with the objective of reducing the cancer burden, improving survival rates and ensuring equitable access to quality oncology services across Jammu & Kashmir.