SC Issues Notice on Demand to Declare Cancer a Notified Disease Nationwide, Seeks Reply from Centre and States

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Supreme Court has issued notices to the central government and all state governments on a public interest petition seeking to declare cancer a notified disease across the country. The court has asked for responses regarding serious gaps in cancer management within India’s public healthcare system.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant issued notices to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, all states, and Union Territories on a petition filed by Dr Anurag Shrivastava, a retired cancer specialist from AIIMS.

Appearing for the petitioner, the counsel informed the court that out of 36 states and Union Territories, only 17 have declared cancer a notified disease so far. This has led to an uneven system across the country. Due to this, mandatory reporting of cancer cases is not being carried out uniformly, depriving a large section of the population of its benefits.

The petition further stated that the National Cancer Registry Programme currently covers only around 10 percent of the population. As a result, the actual cancer burden in the country is not being accurately assessed. The absence of mandatory reporting is also affecting policy planning, proper allocation of resources, and the implementation of early detection programmes.

The petition also raised concerns over the spread of misleading and unscientific information related to cancer treatment. Information obtained through RTI revealed that such claims have no scientific basis, yet many patients are deprived of timely and appropriate medical treatment because of them. Based on these facts, the petitioner has urged the Supreme Court to direct authorities to declare cancer a notified disease nationwide and to establish an effective, science-based national cancer control system.