New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) Amid rising cancer cases in India, the Union government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening services to fight the deadly disease across states.

During a two-day national workshop on strengthening cancer care and urban health organised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from November 27-28, a national panel of cancer specialists and programme leaders deliberated on strategies to build an integrated cancer care ecosystem.

The experts also called for enhancing multidisciplinary coordination, improving early detection, and expanding district-level capacity.

Delivering the keynote address, Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary, reaffirmed the Government’s priority to strengthen cancer services nationwide.

Srivastava highlighted “the Union Budget 2025-26 announcement to establish Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in every district to decentralise cancer treatment, reduce the burden on tertiary centres, and ensure timely chemotherapy and follow-up care”.

She also emphasised the creation of a robust continuum of cancer care from community-level screening to district-level treatment and advanced care. Srivastava further noted that “the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs (NP-NCD) is central to expanding access and improving outcomes”.

At the inaugural session, the Union Health Secretary also released key policy documents, including the NP-NCD training modules, the FRU Guidelines 2025, and the Operational Guidelines for Strengthening Laboratory Services under the Free Diagnostics Initiative.

The workshop featured detailed presentations on DCCC models, standard treatment workflows for common cancers, digital platforms for monitoring implementation, integration of viral hepatitis screening, and quality assurance mechanisms through NQAS.

States such as Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh also showcased best practices in cancer screening, community engagement, and district-level service delivery, offering scalable models for other States/UTs.

The states and UTs must proactively respond to urban health challenges, considering the rapidly growing urban population and the learnings emerging from the deliberations, Srivastava said.

The workshop also focused on the urban health agenda under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).

Additional Secretary & Mission Director (NHM), Aradhana Pattnaik, emphasised the importance of adopting integrated and city-specific strategies for strengthening urban health systems.

–IANS

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