2 to 3% annual increase in cancer cases over last 3 years in J&K: Govt

Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing an annual increase of 2 to 3 per cent in cancer cases in the last three years, the government informed the Legislative Assembly on Friday.

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Responding to a question by Srinagar MLA Tanveer Sadiq, J&K Health Minister Sakina Itoo stated that in the Union Territory from 2018-2024 as per population based cancer registry, there are 50,551 cancer cases in Kashmir Division and 13,912 in Jammu Division.

She said, “Annually new cases are increasing at a rate of 2% to 3% over the last three years.”

The data showed that in 2018, Kashmir had 6,649 cases, which saw an increase to 8,355 yearly cases in 2024, which amounts to nearly 26 per cent increase in seven years.

The Jammu division on the other hand saw 2,334 cases in 2018, while in 2024 the number was 2,237.

The Minister said the cancer patients in Kashmir are given the facility of radiation oncology, critical care ICU, Nuero ICU, CVTS ICU, Pulmonary ICU and Paediatric ICU at SKIMS, where the State Cancer Institute is functional. “It houses a day care facility for medical oncology patients, clinical hematology and radiation oncology, medical oncology and oncology for in-patient’s radiation,” the minister said.

The minister said a dedicated operation theatre for cancer patients is being operationalised at SKIMS, which would be ready very soon.

Itoo informed that GMC, Jammu, is presently providing OPD services, chemotherapy, PET CT Scan, brachytherapy, radiology tests, digital radiography and colposcopy to cancer patients.

She said efforts are already on to decentralise the cancer care, which has been already accomplished to a great extent by way of having chemotherapy at district day centers. “The government has already taken an initiative of decentralising cancer by establishing cancer care in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.” she added.