Those aged above 30 years are targeted for their screening for the three common cancers
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research's National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCRP), the estimated number of cervical cancer cases in the country in 2023 was more than 3.4 lakh, the government informed Parliament on Friday.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Satya Pal Singh Baghel said the Centre's Department of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the states and Union territories under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) as part of the National Health Mission (NHM).
The support is provided based on the proposals received from the states and subject to the resource envelope, the minister said.
The programme focuses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion and awareness generation for prevention, early diagnosis, management and referral to an appropriate level of healthcare facility for the treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, he added.
Under the NP-NCD, 753 district NCD clinics and 6,237 community health centre NCD clinics have been set up.
A population-based initiative for prevention, control and screening for common NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension and common cancers, has been rolled out under the NHM. Also, as a part of comprehensive primary healthcare, Baghel said.
Under the initiative, those aged above 30 years are targeted for their screening for the three common cancers -- cervical, breast and oral.
Screening for these common cancers is an integral part of service delivery under Ayushman Arogya Mandir, the minister informed the Lok Sabha.
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