Telangana govt declares cancer a notifiable disease statewide
HYDERABAD: The state government has declared cancer a notifiable disease to curb its spread and improve treatment for patients. Orders were issued by the health department to ensure accurate tracking of rising cancer cases.
Under Government Order (GO) 17, every cancer case diagnosed anywhere in the state must be reported to the government. Until now, cancer registries existed only in select government institutions such as Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology. The government has now decided to bring all data under a single system.
Reporting deadline set for hospitals and labs
Hospitals and diagnostic laboratories must report cancer cases within 30 days of diagnosis through a designated online portal. While patient confidentiality will be maintained, complete case details must be uploaded.
The rule applies to all types of cancer, including in situ (early-stage) and invasive cancers. District Medical and Health Officers (DMHOs) will oversee implementation at the district level.
Rule applies to all healthcare facilities
The order applies to all healthcare providers, including corporate hospitals, private clinics, nursing homes, AYUSH centres, and institutions such as AIIMS, Employees’ State Insurance hospitals, railway and military hospitals. Pathology and radiology laboratories must also comply.
Hospitals already registered will receive login credentials, while others must register on the portal.
MNJ hospital named nodal centre
The Mehdi Nawaz Jung Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad has been designated as the Centre of Excellence for consolidating statewide cancer data. The hospital will analyse the data and maintain a state-level cancer registry.
The data will also be linked to the national registry as per Indian Council of Medical Research standards. This will help identify region-wise cancer trends and mortality rates.
Health department principal secretary Christina Z. Chongthu said the move will help design future treatment strategies and screening programmes based on reliable data.
