Supreme Court pushes 19 states, union territories to notify cancer

Sup eme
Cou t
has
stepped
up
effo ts
to
b i g
g eate
u ifo mity
to
ca ce
epo ti g

NEW
DELHI:
With
the
Natio al
Ca ce
Regist y
P og amme
cove i g
o ly
a
f actio
of
I dia’s
populatio
a d
u al
ca ce
su veilla ce
emai i g
pa ticula ly
limited,
the
Sup eme
Cou t
has
stepped
up
effo ts
to
b i g
g eate
u ifo mity
to
ca ce
epo ti g.
The
cou t
o
Tuesday
asked
the
19
States
a d
U io
Te ito ies
that
have
ot
yet
otified
ca ce
as
a
otifiable
disease
to
co side
doi g
so,
a
move
that
could
make
epo ti g
of
ewly
detected
cases
to
public
health
autho ities
ma dato y.Such
otificatio
could
help
plug
gaps
i
ca ce
su veilla ce
by
givi g
health
autho ities
a
mo e
complete
pictu e
of
the
cou t y’s
ca ce
bu de ,
i cludi g
whe e
cases
a e
isi g
a d
which
populatio s
a e
most
affected.
The
data
could
i
tu
help
shape
policies
o
p eve tio ,
ea ly
detectio ,
t eatme t
capacity
a d
allocatio
of
healthca e
esou ces.A
be ch
headed
by
Chief
Justice
Su ya
Ka t
passed
the
o de
o
a
plea
filed
by
a
eti ed
AIIMS
docto
afte
his
lawye
Gau av
Ba sal
told
the
cou t
that
NCRP
cove s
o ly
10%
of
populatio
a d
u al
cove age
is
less
tha
1%.The
push
assumes
g eate
sig ifica ce
agai st
the
backd op
of
the
WHO’s
latest
Global
Status
Repo t
o
Ca ce ,
which
estimates
that
92%
of
people
globally
will
be
affected
by
ca ce
eithe
di ectly
o
th ough
a
close
family
membe .

The
epo t
also
p ojects
a ual
ca ce
cases
to
ise
to
ea ly
35
millio
by
2050.The
Sup eme
Cou t
was
i fo med
that
17
of
I dia’s
36
States
a d
UTs
have
al eady
otified
ca ce ,
followi g
ecomme datio s
of
the
Pa liame ta y
Sta di g
Committee
o
Health
a d
Family
Welfa e.
The
emai i g
19
have
ow
bee
asked
to
co side
simila
actio .

D
P agya
Shukla,
Head
of
Cli ical
O cology
at
Delhi
State
Ca ce
I stitute,
said
sta da dised,
disease-specific
a d
timely
data
was
esse tial
to
t ack
I dia’s
cha gi g
ca ce
bu de ,
ide tify
egio al
a d
demog aphic
t e ds,
a d
assess
the
impact
of
p eve tio
a d
t eatme t
p og ammes.
Such
a
system,
she
said,
would
compleme t
existi g
ca ce
egist ies,
help
ide tify
high-bu de
a eas,
imp ove
pla i g
fo
t eatme t
i f ast uctu e
a d
medici es,
a d
st e gthe
evide ce-based
ca ce
co t ol.
Govil
added
that
eliable
data
would
be
c itical
fo
pla i g
p eve tio ,
ea ly
detectio
a d
esou ce
allocatio .The
I dia
Ca ce
Society
welcomed
the
i te ve tio ,
sayi g
atio al
otificatio
could
help
build
a
comp ehe sive
ca ce
su veilla ce
system.
“The
Sup eme
Cou t’s
i te ve tio
is
a
sig ifica t
developme t,
a d
we
welcome
its
di ectio
to
the
emai i g
States
a d
U io
Te ito ies
to
move
towa ds
ca ce
otificatio ,”
said
Jyots a
Govil,
Chai pe so ,
I dia
Ca ce
Society,
Delhi.
Howeve ,
she
st essed
that
otificatio
alo e
would
ot
suffice
a d
called
fo
a
u ifo m
atio al
f amewo k
with
commo
defi itio s,
epo ti g
sta da ds
a d
data
p otocols
to
e su e
compa able
a d
i te ope able
data
ac oss
states.