On World Cancer Day, Apollo Cancer Centres, the Indian Cancer Society, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Family Physician Associations launch a nationwide campaign called “Unify to Notify”. To combat cancer, the campaign calls on the Indian government to declare cancer a disease that requires notification.

Over 14 lakh new instances of cancer are reported in India each year, and by 2025, that number is predicted to increase to 15.7 lakh. By making cancer a notifiable disease, the following benefits will result:

1. Accurate reporting and real-time data collecting, will help to clarify the disease’s scope.
2. Create standardized treatment plans using focused intervention techniques and epidemiological analysis.
3. Will improve cancer treatment’s precision, effectiveness, and accessibility, hence bolstering India’s position in the world’s oncology research and care.

The Rajya Sabha received a report from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in 2022 suggesting that cancer be included in the list of diseases that require notification. The business experts hope that by taking this action, the Indian government will follow the next logical step and enact this bill in both the Upper and Lower Houses during the next budget session.

“The ICMR supports the notification of cancer because it will give us vital epidemiological data needed for evidence-based policymaking. Based on scant data, we currently estimate India’s cancer burden. We will be able to better plan prevention measures and allocate research money with the support of mandatory reporting, which will provide us with reliable insights into cancer patterns” said Dr. Sandip Mukhopadhyay, Scientist E (Medical), ICMR-NIRBI.

The “Unify to Notify” initiative is a significant step in improving cancer care in India by recognizing cancer as a disease that must be reported, where every patient is important, every cancer case counts, and no data point is overlooked.

There is still a need for nationwide implementation even though 15 states—including Haryana, Karnataka, Tripura, West Bengal, Punjab, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, and Rajasthan—have already deemed cancer a disease that requires notification. More than 12 nations have acknowledged the significance of requiring cancer reporting, including the US, England and Wales, Scotland, Denmark, Nordic nations, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Gambia.

For more details, visit: https://apollocancerCentres.com/

Priyanka Dutta