Telangana Declares Cancer a Notifiable Disease to Fix Health Data Gaps

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Key takeaways

Telangana became the latest state to declare cancer a notifiable disease, mandating all public and private health facilities to report cases within 1 month.
Currently, 17 Indian states have declared cancer a notifiable disease to fix missing health data, while cancer is not yet nationally notifiable.
Existing central registries cover only 10% to 16% of India's population, creating a major data gap in the private health sector.
The Global Cancer Observatory predicts India's cancer cases will grow by over 74% from 1.41 million in 2022 to 2.46 million by 2045.

Telangana has officially made cancer a notifiable disease across the state. This decision requires all government and private hospitals to upload every diagnosed cancer case to a designated state portal within 1 month.
This step helps the government map cancer patterns across the state. By tracking new cases, deaths, and regional distributions, authorities can design better public health strategies.
Medical experts at MNJ Cancer Hospital will verify the collected data. After verification, these records will enter the National Cancer Registry Programme run by the ICMR.

A notifiable disease is any illness that doctors and hospitals must report to government officers by law. Mandatory reporting helps officials detect health crises early and take fast control measures.
The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 gives state governments the legal right to declare any illness as a notified disease within their own borders.
State governments routinely notify infectious diseases like Tuberculosis, Dengue, Malaria, Cholera, Hepatitis, Measles, and Polio. During the healthcare emergency, states also declared Covid-19 a mandatory reportable disease.

Currently, India lacks a central law making cancer a notifiable disease across all states. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare usually limits mandatory reporting to infectious diseases that spread rapidly.
National statistics depend on Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCR) and Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCR). However, these tools sample only 10% to 16% of the country, missing rural areas and private clinics.
To solve this missing data problem, 17 states have created their own rules to notify cancer cases, with Telangana becoming the latest state to join this group.
Data from the Global Cancer Observatory under the WHO reveals alarming projections. India's annual cancer cases could jump by 74%, rising from 1.41 million in 2022 to 2.46 million by 2045 due to longer lifespans and changing habits.
Prominent bodies like the ICMR and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research want nationwide mandatory reporting. They argue this is the only way to track private hospital patients accurately.
Making cancer reportable will initially increase official case numbers sharply. However, having real numbers helps the government build specialized hospitals, launch insurance coverage, and run awareness campaigns where needed most.