J&K Needs Cancer Excellence

Cancer does not affect only one patient. It shakes an entire family, drains savings, creates fear, and often forces people into painful journeys outside their own region for treatment. For Jammu and Kashmir, the establishment of two State Cancer Institutes at SKIMS Soura and Government Medical College Jammu is a welcome and necessary step. But it must also be accepted that this is only the beginning. A Union Territory with difficult geography, remote populations and growing health challenges needs a much stronger cancer-care network, better infrastructure and more specialised hospitals so that patients do not have to leave Jammu and Kashmir in search of treatment, comfort and hope.

The statement made in the Legislative Assembly by Health and Medical Education Minister Sakeena Itoo points towards an important public health response. The constitution of an Apex Committee, with the Director SKIMS as Nodal Officer, shows that cancer prevention, screening and treatment are being seen as a coordinated responsibility. This is the right approach because cancer care is not limited to surgery, chemotherapy or medicines. It begins with awareness, early detection, timely diagnosis, proper treatment, counselling, follow-up care and financial support. If any link fails, the patient suffers. The two State Cancer Institutes, established with support from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, can reduce the pressure on families who otherwise have to travel to Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, or other states. For many households, such travel means loans, loss of income, emotional exhaustion and long stays away from home. A patient battling cancer should not also have to fight distance, paperwork and financial helplessness. However, the hard truth is that institutes alone are not enough. Buildings must be matched with modern machines, trained oncologists, radiotherapy facilities, diagnostic labs, cancer surgeons, nurses, counsellors, palliative care units and patient-support systems. Jammu and Kashmir needs cancer hospitals that function with speed, compassion and credibility. Waiting periods must be reduced. Tests must be available locally. Medicines must be affordable. Patients must receive guidance in a language and manner they understand. A poor patient should not feel lost in the corridors of a hospital. The Government has spoken of strengthening infrastructure, equipment, human resources and specialised services. This must now become a continuous mission, not a slow file process. Cancer treatment changes rapidly with science and technology. If infrastructure is not upgraded regularly, patients will again be pushed outside the UT. Jammu and Kashmir should aim not only to provide basic cancer treatment, but to build institutions of excellence where people from every district can receive dependable care. Financial assistance under Ayushman Bharat and the Cancer Treatment and Management Fund for Poor is important. These schemes can protect many families from sudden medical expenses. But assistance must be easy to access. A cancer patient cannot afford delay at every counter. Hospitals should have single-window help desks to guide patients about eligibility, documents, packages, referrals, and financial support. Compassion must be built into the system, not left to individual officers. Prevention and early detection also need aggressive attention. Many cancer cases become dangerous because people report late. Awareness campaigns must reach villages, schools, colleges, panchayats, women’s groups and workplaces. Screening camps should be regular, especially for women, tobacco users, high-risk groups and people living in remote areas. District hospitals and community health centres must be trained to identify warning signs and refer patients quickly.

Finally, Jammu and Kashmir needs more cancer-care infrastructure, more specialised hospitals, and stronger diagnostic facilities, district-level screening centres, faster referral systems and trained manpower in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The Government should develop a long-term oncology roadmap, create a digital cancer registry, upgrade district hospitals, strengthen the two State Cancer Institutes and plan additional regional cancer facilities in underserved areas. No patient should be forced to sell land, borrow money, or travel outside the UT simply because advanced treatment is unavailable at home. A society proves its humanity by how it treats its sick, and a government proves its seriousness by how close it brings hope to those in pain. Cancer care in Jammu and Kashmir must now move from availability to excellence, from schemes to seamless service, and from treatment outside the region to trust within the region.