Union Minister of State for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, addressed Parliament on India’s rising cancer burden, detailing the government’s multi‑pronged approach to strengthen prevention, diagnosis, treatment, research, and affordability nationwide.
The strategy integrates research, technology, and public health to make cancer care accessible beyond centres of excellence.
To reduce patient stress and hospital pressure, admission procedures are being streamlined, and oncology facilities are being expanded at the district level. Since 2014, 11 new Tata Memorial Centre hospitals have been established, alongside a national cancer care grid covering over 300 hospitals, and a Platinum Block at Navi Mumbai is under development.
The minister noted the rise in cancer is linked to longer life expectancy, environmental factors, and lifestyle changes, while early detection has improved curability. Institutions like BRIT, Tata Memorial Centre, and teaching hospitals are researching cancer treatment and ways to minimize chemotherapy and radiotherapy side effects using radioprotective agents and precision technologies.
Affordability is central, with nearly 60 per cent of patients at Tata Memorial Centre receiving free or nominal-cost care through schemes like Ayushman Bharat, and essential medicines are being made available in public hospitals with emphasis on indigenous production. India has also developed its first indigenous HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.
On international collaboration, Tata Memorial Centre partners with the IAEA under the “Rays of Hope” initiative to train healthcare professionals from low- and middle-income countries. Tata Memorial also operates as a deemed university, offering super-specialty training in oncology, pediatric oncology, and nuclear medicine across multiple states, including Assam.
Advances in theranostics include 24 indigenous radioisotopes developed over the past decade for diagnostics and therapeutics, covering prostate cancer, childhood blood cancers, and other conditions, with an emphasis on affordable and scalable nuclear medicine services even in rural areas.
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