Diplomat Correspondent
Jammu, (DD) Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a 2 to 3 percent annual increase in cancer cases, with 50,551 cases reported in Kashmir and 13,912 in Jammu between 2018 and 2024, Health Minister Sakina Itoo informed the Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a question from MLA Tanveer Sadiq, the minister stated that cancer patients in J&K receive specialized treatment at SKIMS Srinagar and GMC Jammu, where facilities like radiation oncology, critical care ICUs, chemotherapy, PET CT scans, and digital radiography are available.
She highlighted that the State Cancer Institute at SKIMS Soura is fully functional, offering day care for medical oncology, clinical hematology, and inpatient radiation oncology. The bone marrow transplant facility is ready for shifting to the third floor, but manpower recruitment is still in progress.
Additionally, a dedicated operation theatre for cancer patients at SKIMS Soura will be operational soon. In Jammu, the State Cancer Institute’s three operation theatres and a 10-bed ICU are nearing completion and are expected to be ready by March 2025.
To improve accessibility, the government has decentralized cancer care by establishing chemotherapy facilities at District Day Centers and expanding cancer treatment services across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. (DD)