Haryana Tells SC Separate Cancer Notification Is Unneeded
The Haryana government recently submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court regarding oncology surveillance policies. Specifically, the state argued that an additional declaration of cancer as a notifiable disease remains unnecessary. Officials highlighted that a robust framework for mandatory cancer reporting has operated across the state since 2014. Consequently, the government asserted that current mechanisms already achieve comprehensive clinical surveillance.
The Supreme Court Directive and Haryana's Response
This legal matter emerged from a public interest litigation filed by Dr. Anurag Srivastava. The petition sought uniform and compulsory cancer reporting protocols across all Indian states. In response, the Supreme Court directed non-notified states to evaluate declarations under public health laws. However, Haryana clarified its stance in a compliance affidavit filed by Director General of Health Services Dr. Manish Bansal. Furthermore, state authorities stressed key epidemiologic distinctions between communicable and non-communicable conditions. Because cancer does not spread through interpersonal transmission, routine outbreak response mechanisms do not apply. Therefore, existing epidemiological registries serve oncology tracking far better than emergency notification statutes.
Existing Framework for Mandatory Cancer Reporting
Haryana relied on a dedicated health notification issued on October 29, 2014. Under this mandate, all private and public healthcare facilities must submit diagnosed cases within one week. Diagnosing pathologists and clinicians send these structured reports directly to the pathology department at PGIMS Rohtak. Moreover, the state order strictly protects patient confidentiality during data handling. Multiple tertiary centers maintain active hospital-based cancer registries to track local trends. For instance, facilities like the Atal Cancer Care Centre in Ambala and the National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar contribute vital data. In addition, health officials are integrating cancer registration into unified digital datasets.
Screening Initiatives and Supportive Cancer Infrastructure
Besides administrative reporting, Haryana conducts targeted screening programs across all 22 districts. Specifically, primary screening focuses on oral, breast, and cervical malignancies under the national non-communicable disease program. Whenever frontline workers identify suspicious lesions, they refer patients to tertiary hospitals for definitive confirmation. Meanwhile, the state provides free essential anti-cancer medications at district civil hospitals. The government also offers travel assistance on state roadways buses for patients and their attendants. As a result, over ten thousand oncology patients utilized travel subsidies during recent fiscal periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why did Haryana oppose declaring cancer a notifiable disease?
The state argued that mandatory notification traditionally applies to infectious diseases to control rapid outbreaks. Because Haryana has maintained a mandatory reporting system since 2014, authorities deemed a separate declaration unnecessary.
Q2: What are the current reporting timelines for cancer cases in Haryana?
According to the 2014 notification, diagnostic centers and hospitals must report newly confirmed cancer cases within one week. These reports go directly to the Department of Pathology at PGIMS Rohtak.
Q3: How does the Supreme Court PIL impact national cancer surveillance?
The PIL seeks uniform reporting nationwide to address fragmented health statistics. While several states have declared cancer notifiable, others utilize hospital registries and programmatic reporting to track oncological cases.
References
- Mandatory reporting in place, cancer notification not needed, Haryana govt tellsSC - ETHealthworld
- Consider Declaring Cancer As 'Notifiable Disease' : Supreme Court To States - Live Law
- Supreme Court asks 19 States, UTs to declare cancer 'notifiable disease' for early detection - LawBeat
