National News

Cancer as Notifiable Disease

August 18 , 2026 13 hrs 0 min 26 0

The Supreme Court (SC) has directed 19 States and Union Territories (UTs) to declare cancer a notifiable disease for early detection and proper patient care.
The direction came after the court was informed that 17 of 36 States and UTs have already notified cancer.
The case was based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking nationwide notification of cancer.
As a notifiable disease, cancer cases would have to be reported to health authorities, helping improve data collection and surveillance.
The Supreme Court also asked the Central Government why mandatory guidelines had not been issued for all States and UTs.
The court stressed the need for a uniform policy on cancer notification across the country.
Notifiable diseases commonly include Tuberculosis (TB), Dengue, Malaria, Cholera, Hepatitis, Measles, Leptospirosis and Polio.