All That India Can Do To Make Cancer A Less Dismal State

Source: The post is based on the article “All That India Can Do To Make Cancer A Less Dismal State” published in The Times of India on 20th February 2023.

Syllabus: GS 2 – Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.

Relevance: About cancer in India.

News: Recently, World Cancer Day was celebrated.

About cancer in India

The incidence of all cancers is estimated to increase to 15.7 lahks by 2025. The incidence of cancer of the uterine cervix has reportedly dropped over the last 50 years from 45 to 10 per 1,00,000 population, and the HPV vaccine will likely to reduce it further. Breast cancer continues to rise in urban centres.

What are the challenges in reducing cancer in India?

-India made little progress to detect cancer early enough to reduce death rates.

-Because of high levels of pollution, India is going to witness a significant rise in rates of lung cancer in the future among non-smokers too.

-People who live in villages have much more advanced stages of cancer than their urban counterparts.

-There is also a lack of awareness and widespread use of carcinogenic products like tobacco in India.

-Cancer generally presents itself in an older age group. As human life spans increase the risk of getting cancer also rises. Older adults also have additional problems associated with ageing.

What are the steps undertaken to detect cancer in India?

Access to early detection facilities and affordable treatments have an important role in reducing cancer mortality.

The government is providing that by making primary health centres more responsive and taking attempts through Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. This will shorten the time lag between diagnoses and treatment.

What should be done to reduce cancer in India?

Compulsory Palliative care: Only an estimated 1 in 10 people who need palliative care worldwide are receiving it. In India, it is estimated that less than 2% of people with serious and chronic conditions availing palliative relief care. So, palliative care must be made part of India’s healthcare agenda and should be available to all.

Focus on preventive health: For example, tobacco is implicated in one-third of India’s cancers. Punitive measures and higher taxation of tobacco products as well as bans should be imposed along with strict and effective enforcement for raising awareness and tackling cultural factors.

Focus on technological solutions: Such as immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy and other cutting-edge treatments and technological advances.

India should work on preventing cancer, catching it early and ensuring the quality of life for those who have it.