Odisha government declares cancer a reportable disease

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha government declared cancer a ‘reportable disease’ in the state on Wednesday. It has been made mandatory for all hospitals, labs, healthcare facilities and institutions providing diagnostic treatment to notify regarding new diagnosed cases of cancer.

The decision was taken by the government after the Health and Family Welfare department found that non-maintenance of cancer registries at health facilities was leading to a lot of unreported cancer cases.

According to Health Secretary Shalini Pandit, estimation of cancer burden and its distribution with respect to time and place is important to mobilise resources for prevention and control besides reducing mortalities attributed to it.

As a notification issued to this effect, all hospitals (private or public), pathological, clinical and radiological labs, institutions imparting medical education and providing diagnostic treatment, palliative care and any other healthcare related facilities will have to mandatorily report diagnosed cases of cancer.

“All such facilities concerned will have to send patients for pathological confirmation when they become cognizant of the existence or suspicion of cancer in patients. The pathologist after confirming the same would then send the information in prescribed format,” the notification read.

The health facilities reporting or notifying cancer will maintain a prescribed register and accordingly document information for all new cases diagnosed or being treated. This has to be done within the period not exceeding two week from the date of diagnosis and it is applicable to all Medical Colleges, all the State and Central government hospitals/dispensaries and autonomous medical institutions, including Ayurveda, Unani and any other facilities.

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