Cancer should be declared a notifiable disease across states, UTs, says Parliamentary panel

A Parliamentary committee has recommended that cancer should be declared a notifiable disease across all states and Union Territories.

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NEW DELHI:

Headed by Narain Dass Gupta, the Committee on Petitions, Rajya Sabha, in its 163rd report presented on Wednesday, said reliable data is vital for assessing public health issues, particularly cancer, where comprehensive information is essential to track trends, design policies and plan infrastructure.

At present, cancer data is primarily drawn from the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP), which covers only about 18 per cent of the population, considered to be insufficient for a national picture. Healthcare professionals have long advocated for declaring cancer a notifiable disease.