Unify to Notify: Apollo Cancer Centres, IMA urge Govt to classify Cancer a Notifiable Disease

Chennai: In a move to address India's growing cancer burden, Apollo Cancer Centres, in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has launched a nationwide campaign urging the Government to classify cancer as a notifiable disease. 

The campaign is named the ‘Unify to Notify’ campaign. According to the Apollo hospital doctors, this initiative seeks to strengthen India's fight against cancer by ensuring more accurate data collection, better resource allocation, and improved public health responses to the disease.

Cancer is one of the most formidable health challenges facing India today. As per the projections, the number of cancer cases in India is expected to reach a staggering 1.57 million by 2025. Currently, India reports over 14 lakh new cancer cases annually.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare had already recommended in 2022 that cancer be classified as a notifiable disease. However, despite the recommendation, no substantial action has been taken by the government to enact the necessary legislation.

Doctors emphasize the importance of designating cancer as a notifiable disease, as it would require the mandatory reporting of cancer cases. This would guarantee the collection of accurate and comprehensive data on cancer incidence and prevalence, which is essential for understanding the full scope of the disease and for making informed public health decisions.

Dr. Vijay Agarwal, a Professor and Lead Consultant in Medical Oncology at Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru, emphasized the importance of this initiative.

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Speaking to South First, Dr Vijay Agarwal, said, “It will revolutionise our understanding of cancer patterns at the state level. It will help us identify regional variations in cancer types and risk factors, leading to more targeted prevention programs.”

The campaign also stresses the role of accurate cancer data in assessing the effectiveness of cancer control programs. Continuous monitoring of cancer trends would allow for timely interventions, offering a better understanding of the long-term impact of prevention and treatment efforts. Additionally, cancer registries provide invaluable data for researchers, advancing the understanding of cancer’s causes, risk factors, and treatment outcomes.

India is not alone in recognizing the value of cancer reporting. More than 12 countries around the world, including the United States, England and Wales, Denmark, Canada, Australia, Israel, and New Zealand, have long implemented mandatory cancer reporting systems.

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Dinesh Madhavan, President of Group Oncology and International at Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited (AHEL), stressed the importance of a unified approach in tackling cancer, asserting that the fight against the disease cannot be done in isolation and requires a collective effort. He advocated for designating cancer as a notifiable disease, enabling policymakers, healthcare providers, and researchers to access real-time data. This, he highlighted, would strengthen prevention efforts, improve early detection, and enhance treatment outcomes. At Apollo Cancer Centres, the commitment to driving this change remains unwavering, with a call for the Government to take this vital step toward transforming cancer care in India.

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