Jammu Tawi, Jul 13: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to assess the initial formulation of a comprehensive Cancer Care Strategy for the Union Territory aimed at creating an integrated, accessible and technology-enabled cancer care ecosystem across Jammu & Kashmir.
The strategy, prepared by the Health & Medical Education Department in consultation with leading oncology experts and national institutions, envisages a holistic framework covering cancer prevention, early detection, screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, research, capacity building and digital health interventions.
Reviewing the proposed roadmap, the Chief Secretary observed that cancer is emerging as a major public health challenge and called for a coordinated, evidence-based and patient-centric response to improve health outcomes across the Union Territory. He directed the department to ensure time-bound implementation of all proposed interventions through effective institutional coordination, regular monitoring and measurable outcomes.
The Chief Secretary underscored the importance of establishing a robust preventive oncology framework across all Government Medical Colleges in the Union Territory to promote early detection and timely intervention against cancer. He stressed the need for simultaneously strengthening both human resource capacity and the requisite healthcare infrastructure so that quality diagnostic and treatment facilities are made available closer to the patients, thereby minimizing the need for travelling to distant facilities.
He directed the Health Department to undertake a phased capacity-building programme by training the required specialist manpower, including Radiation Safety Officer (RSO)-certified personnel, while concurrently upgrading the necessary medical equipment and infrastructure in all medical colleges. He observed that these interventions would significantly enhance the quality and accessibility of cancer care services across Jammu & Kashmir.
The Chief Secretary further instructed that the entire strategy should be implemented in a well-defined, phase-wise manner over the coming years to ensure equitable distribution of oncology facilities across the Union Territory. He also directed each of the expert committees constituted under the Cancer Care Strategy to prepare detailed, time-bound implementation plans within their respective domains.
He said that these implementation plans should be examined and harmonised by the Apex Committee chaired by Dr. Sudeep Gupta, Director, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai and other experts here to ensure their technical soundness, feasibility and effective execution.
