466 day care cancer centres functional across country

More than 450 Day Care Cancer Centres are functional across the country, reflecting a steady expansion and strengthening of district-level chemotherapy services, Union Health Ministry sources said.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The government, in the Union Budget 2025-26, had announced the establishment of Day Care Cancer Centres (DC-CCs) in district hospitals across the country over the next three years, with 200 centres to be set up during the current fiscal. This initiative was introduced in response to the rising burden of cancer and the need to strengthen the public health system so that chemotherapy services are available closer to patients'homes. "The objective is to decentralise routine cancer treatment and reduce dependence on tertiary hospitals for scheduled chemotherapy," a source from the health ministry said. Elaborating on it, the source said that cancer treatment typically requires multiple hospital visits over several months. Regular followups and timely c