The number of cancer patients in the state witnessed a rise in 2014 as compared to the previous years. A written reply in the Legislative Council today said a total of 7,098 patients were detected with cancer at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, and the government medical colleges of Jammu and Srinagar.
In 2013, 6,300 patients were detected with cancer at these three institutes. Till September end this year, 4,993 patients were detected with cancer.
Meanwhile, as per the figures provided by the SKIMS, 3,940 cancer patients were registered at the institute as compared to 3,394 patients in 2013. In 2010, the SKIMS had detected 2,623 cancer cases.
The SKIMS had also set up two new wards to accommodate the increasing number of cancer patients.
According to a research ‘Scenario of Cancer in Kashmir—Limitations in Curative Treatment’ by Dr Sannaullah Kuchai, cases of esophageal cancer figured at the top in the state followed by breast and stomach cancers. Even as the centre has already sanctioned the setting up of three tertiary care cancer centres in the state, another reply in the upper House said the funding was yet to be released.
“The state government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) of the sanctioned three tertiary care cancer centres and submitted the same to the Government of India for which funding is awaited,” the reply read. The three centres have been sanctioned for Kupwara in the Valley and Kishtwar and Udhampur in the Jammu region.
