Srinagar, July 13: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has initiated an ambitious roadmap to build a comprehensive, technology-driven cancer care ecosystem aimed at bringing quality diagnosis, treatment and preventive oncology services closer to patients across the Union Territory.
Chairing a high-level meeting on Monday, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reviewed the formulation of a Comprehensive Cancer Care Strategy designed to create an integrated framework spanning prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, rehabilitation, research, capacity building and digital health interventions.
The strategy, prepared by the Health and Medical Education Department in consultation with leading oncology experts and national institutions, seeks to transform cancer care delivery through a phased expansion of specialised infrastructure, trained manpower and modern diagnostic facilities while reducing the need for patients to travel outside the Union Territory for advanced treatment.
Senior officials present in the meeting included the Director, SKIMS; Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM); Director, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Chandigarh; Principals of Government Medical Colleges; Directors of Health Services, Jammu and Kashmir; faculty members of medical colleges and senior officers of the Health and Medical Education Department.
Calling cancer one of the fastest-emerging public health challenges, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for a coordinated, evidence-based and patient-centric approach backed by measurable outcomes and strong institutional coordination.
He directed the Health Department to implement the strategy in a time-bound and phased manner to ensure equitable availability of oncology services across Jammu and Kashmir.
Dulloo underscored the importance of establishing a robust preventive oncology framework in all Government Medical Colleges to promote early detection and timely intervention. He also called for simultaneous strengthening of healthcare infrastructure and specialist manpower so that quality cancer care becomes accessible within the region.
He directed the department to launch phased capacity-building programmes for specialist doctors and Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)-certified personnel while upgrading medical equipment and treatment infrastructure across medical colleges.
“The objective is to make quality diagnostic and treatment facilities available closer to patients, significantly reducing the need for them to travel long distances for cancer care,” the Chief Secretary observed.
To ensure systematic execution, Dulloo instructed every expert committee constituted under the Cancer Care Strategy to prepare detailed, time-bound implementation plans in their respective domains.
These plans, he said, would be examined and harmonised by the Apex Committee chaired by Dr Sudeep Gupta, Director, Tata Memorial Centre (Mumbai), along with other oncology experts to ensure technical soundness, feasibility and effective implementation.
Highlighting the strategic partnership with the Tata Memorial Centre, the Chief Secretary said collaboration with one of India’s premier cancer institutions would help Jammu and Kashmir adopt national best practices, strengthen technical capacity and accelerate implementation of the strategy.
During the meeting, Mission Director, NHM, Akriti Sagar informed that a Steering Committee-cum-State Cancer Registry Coordination Unit has already been constituted to establish both Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCR) and Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCR) across the Union Territory.
She said the registry network would facilitate systematic collection of cancer incidence data, strengthen disease surveillance and support evidence-based planning under the National Cancer Registry Programme.
Following the notification declaring cancer a notifiable disease in Jammu and Kashmir, the Government has also initiated the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the ICMR-National Institute of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Bengaluru, for technical assistance in establishing a modern cancer registry system.
The meeting reviewed the existing oncology infrastructure, including the State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College Jammu, SKIMS Soura, Government Medical College Srinagar, AIIMS Vijaypur, newly established Government Medical Colleges and district-level Day Care Chemotherapy Centres operating under the National Health Mission.
To strengthen diagnostics, the proposed strategy envisages establishing advanced Molecular Oncology Laboratories in Government Medical Colleges equipped with molecular pathology, immunohistochemistry, genomic profiling and next-generation sequencing technologies.
Officials informed the meeting that proposals have already been submitted to the Indian Council of Medical Research under the DiaMONDs Project for setting up molecular oncology laboratories in selected medical colleges, while additional funding is being explored for expanding these facilities across the Union Territory.
The strategy also proposes phased augmentation of cancer imaging infrastructure through installation of mammography units, PET-CT scanners, MRI facilities, gamma cameras and endoscopy services to facilitate early diagnosis and improve detection rates.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed proposals for expanding radiotherapy infrastructure, strengthening surgical oncology services, establishing additional Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant facilities and creating multidisciplinary oncology teams across major tertiary healthcare institutions.
Recognising the importance of prevention, the strategy proposes extensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns through print, electronic and digital media, schools, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Anganwadi Centres and community platforms to spread awareness about cancer risk factors, early warning signs, screening services and healthy lifestyle practices.
Once implemented, the Cancer Care Strategy aims to establish an integrated continuum of care—from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and research—with the long-term objective of reducing the cancer burden, improving survival rates and ensuring equitable access to quality oncology services for every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir.
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