Hyderabad: Renowned radiation oncologist Dr Nori Dattatreyudu, adviser to the state government on cancer care, said that Telangana was recording an average of 52 cases of cancer per one lakh population over the last five years, from 2020 to 2025. This data was derived from Aarogyasri records, and there could be more patients being treated outside the scheme.
Dr Dattatreyudu submitted the ‘Cancer Atlas of Telangana’, comprising the data, to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday. The data also contains incidence and prevalence cases, payment methods, age groups and cancer types.
“Our data is from Aarogyasri for the last five years. It is not alarming,” he said. The top five districts were Hyderabad, Hanamkonda, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla and Jagtial in terms of cancer incidence, Dr Dattatreyudu told Deccan Chronicle in an exclusive conversation, after submitting the ‘Cancer Atlas’ to the Chief Minister.
The data be uploaded on the cancer website that the health department has launched. Cancer has been declared a notifiable disease in Telangana, meaning that all hospitals will need to report cancer cases to the government. This will lead to an updated database which will help the government draw up focused cancer care schemes.
“We met Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and submitted the ‘Cancer Atlas of Telangana; which also has a road map. If for example one district has high numbers, then the resources and cancer centres could be directed towards that district. We can look at increasing mobile cancer screening and treatment,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister congratulated Dr Dattatreyudu for preparing the report and described the atlas as an important tool in the fight against the disease.
Revanth Reddy said the report would help the government identify regions with a high incidence of cancer and explore the reasons behind the growing number of cases in those areas. Data provided in the report would enable the government to establish special cancer screening centres in regions where cases are more prevalent. He said the government was committed to strengthening healthcare infrastructure for cancer treatment across the State.
Revanth Reddy also announced that special hospitals would be set up not only in Hyderabad but also in areas reporting a higher number of cancer patients, so that people could access treatment closer to their native places. He directed officials to ensure that cancer treatment under the Aarogyasri scheme is delivered more effectively in corporate hospitals.
Among those present during the meeting were health minister C. Damodar Rajanarsimha, MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy, CMO principal secretary Sreenivasa Raju and health secretary Dr Christina Z. Chongthu.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
