Day Care centres at 4 Delhi Hospitals to boost cancer care
Cancer Care
New Delhi: The Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) on Friday launched a training program for doctors and nursing staff under the Prime Minister’s Cancer Day Care Centre initiative. Daycare cancer centres will be set up at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital, Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital.
This move comes in response to the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s February Budget 2025 announcement to establish day care cancer centres in district hospitals across the country.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the government has started a survey to identify and review the infrastructure of all district hospitals to implement the budget announcement of setting up daycare cancer centres in all health facilities over the next three years.
As part of the initiative, DSCI launched its first training batch involving General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) and Nursing Officers from four prominent Delhi hospitals—Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital, Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital.
Dr. Diwakar, Director of DSCI, described the program as a first-of-its-kind in Delhi, aimed at equipping frontline healthcare professionals with hands-on expertise in administering chemotherapy treatments.
The structured training will run in batches through November 2025, gradually preparing healthcare teams from various districts to manage cancer care at the grassroots level. According to Dr. Diwakar, this approach will strengthen localized cancer services.
He stated that the first batch includes four medical officers and four nursing officers, each representing one of the four different DCCC centres.
According to the Indian Express, “The training is designed to equip frontline healthcare professionals with essential skills in chemotherapy drug handling, patient monitoring, and clinical management, in alignment with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW),” he said.
The move is expected to be a game-changer for early cancer intervention, especially in outer districts and rural regions, where access to oncology services is currently limited.
Speaking to India Express, he said, “We will first stabilise the patients at our centre and from here we can transfer the patients to these day care centres where trained staff and doctors will look after the patients undergoing chemotherapy.”
