The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) held a two-day national workshop on “Strengthening Cancer Care and Urban Health” on 27-28 November at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi.
The workshop brought together principal secretaries, mission directors under the National Health Mission (NHM), senior officials, and nodal officers from States and Union Territories working in cancer control, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and urban health.
As part of the event, the government released several key policy documents — including updated training modules for the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), the newly issued FRU Guidelines 2025, and the Operational Guidelines for strengthening laboratory services under the Free Diagnostics Initiative.
A major highlight of the workshop was the focus on establishing Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in every district — a commitment announced in the Union Budget 2025–26 — with the objective to decentralise cancer treatment, ease pressure on tertiary hospitals, and ensure timely chemotherapy and follow-up care.
Participants discussed comprehensive models for cancer care, including standard treatment workflows for common cancers, use of digital platforms for monitoring implementation, integration of viral hepatitis screening, and quality-assurance mechanisms under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS).
States such as Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh showcased their own best-practice models in cancer screening, community engagement, and district-level service delivery — offering scalable examples for other States/UTs.
On the urban health side, the workshop sessions spotlighted strengthening urban primary healthcare under the revised National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) framework. Key priorities included improving infrastructure, reinforcing referral linkages, and enhancing convergence between Urban Local Bodies and state health departments to better serve rapidly growing urban populations.
The revised NUHM draft framework was presented at the workshop, and participants deliberated on strategies for integrated, city-specific health plans to address urban health challenges — especially for the most vulnerable communities.
Overall, the workshop aimed to chart a structured roadmap for India to strengthen both cancer care and urban healthcare delivery — combining preventive screening, accessible treatment, systemic infrastructure improvements, and equitable health access across rural and urban geographies.
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