Push for Cancer Research in Northeast

Rising incidence of cancer in the Northeast region dominates public and academic discourse in the region and the country, which, in turn, has been influencing government policy initiatives and intervention. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has found that there are gaps in institutional research facilities on cancer to understand the specific reasons for better response. The central and state governments, as well as the private healthcare industry, extending more funding support for cancer research in the region, will be crucial to bridge the gap. The parliamentary panel, while referring to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR), points out that in addition to the high incidence of the disease, the region is also burdened with the problem of inadequate cancer treatment facilities. The Committee’s report highlights that even though the ICMR-NCDIR study brings to light a higher incidence of cancer in the region, there is only one centre under the DHR-ICMR Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS) Scheme for the entire region. The DIAMOnDS Scheme is aimed at setting up oncopathology laboratories for providing basic as well as high-end advanced diagnostic services to cancer patients and research facilities for basic, translational, and clinical research. So far, 24 such centres have been set up across the country. The committee, however, states in its report that there is a pressing need to understand the distinctive cancer patterns of the region and identify priorities for targeted research and develop appropriate programmes to address the lack of requisite public health measures. The region has made notable advancements in cancer care and screening, but extensive research focusing on causes of higher incidence in the region is critical to finding out gaps in management in respect to building awareness, screening and diagnostics, availability of advanced cancer drugs, and tertiary care facilities. Such research will help health experts find out if there is any correlation between traditional food choices among different communities in addition to other known causes such as high consumption of tobacco and alcohol and issue health advisories accordingly for the prevention of cancer incidence. Findings of advanced research on cancer incidence in the region will be useful for both preventive measures and improving screening and diagnostic services, besides advancing treatment and care. Preventing the disease burden from rising is the most pragmatic approach, but advancement in treatment can save many lives. An earlier recommendation by the parliamentary committee that the screening followed by diagnostic programs for cancer require the assurance of high-quality treatment at affordable costs, regular follow-up, and accessible follow-up management as and when required. Cancer screening centres must have assured linkages at every level, with mechanisms in place for clinical handover and follow-up, including high-quality documentation processes that are accessible at any level of care at which the patient presents, adds the committee, and put the onus on the state governments to ensure smooth linkages between the screening facilities to diagnosis centres and subsequent treatment facilities at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The committee observes the resources available for health research are “abysmally low.” The report points out that the budget estimates of 2025-26 of the Department of Health Research (DHR) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are just 3.91% of the total Union health budget. Besides, over the last five years, there has been no major change in the quantum of budgetary allocation for health research, which is still only 0.02% of the GDP. The rightly insists that public funding is the primary source of funds for meeting the expenditure on health research in India; therefore, the crucial role of healthcare research in advancing public health is undeniable. Increasing the budgetary allocation for health research by the central government will be crucial for DHR to implement the recommendations for advancing cancer research in the northeast region through improvement in infrastructure for screening, diagnostics, and clinical research. States in the region too providing budgetary support for cancer research can partly address the problem of resource gap. Preventing the cancer burden in the region from growing is critical to unlocking more funds and healthcare facilities for the prevention and treatment of other diseases and improving pandemic preparedness. A large number of posts of scientists created for augmenting health research lying vacant is another area to which the committee drew the attention of the government. The committee recommends that urgent measures other than ordinary procedures must be taken to fill up the vacant posts, and the adoption of an ad-hoc approach and practice of contractual appointments should be discontinued. ICMR apprising the committee that Artificial Intelligence is expected to play a major role and that AI is helping to improve the speed, accuracy, and reliability of some cancer screening and detection methods has triggered fresh hopes of achieving breakthroughs in cancer research in the region through technology application.