Childhood Cancer Detection: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is working with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for an arrangement that helps early detection and reporting of childhood cancer, including a possible setting up of a registry, said Leimapokpam Swasticharan, Deputy Director General, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), on Thursday.
He said one of the key priorities in childhood cancer care is early detection. “Setting up a registry for childhood cancer – declaring it a notifiable disease – is an issue. We are still working with ICMR on this. The aim it not to miss any patient,” he said.
Speaking at a workshop to shape the roadmap towards a National Childhood Cancer Programme organised by the Indian Childhood Cancer Initiative (ICCI), Dr Swasticharan described childhood cancer as the low-hanging fruit in terms of government programmes aimed at the survival of cancer patients.
“The existing non-communicable disease (NCD) programme already has a cancer component. The priority is that a childhood cancer patient should be detected early and get financial support and medical care,” he said.
Dr Swasticharan also suggested emulating the Kerala and Tamil Nadu model for addressing childhood cancer at the district level, an innovative financial support model and engagement of self-help groups.
Dr V.K. Paul, former Member (Health) of Niti Aayog and formerly with the Department of Pediatrics, AIIMS, called for better coordination between all stakeholders for improved outcomes in the childhood cancer domain.
He called for efforts to educate families to detect childhood cancer, “If for childhood cancer the approach is a trigger that comes from the family based on care-seeking, then I have to enable families. On the other hand, for oral, breast and cervical cancers, as you are well aware, there is a proactive screening at a universal level.”
“Educating families, educating grassroots workers, educating even the doctors could be the way forward,” said Dr Paul, calling from learning from the situation and the health systems in other countries.
He also favoured optimal use of telemedicine in continuing care in childhood cancer and the creation of regional and national helplines.
Dr Paul also highlighted financial support through the Central Government’s Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), adding that it has been a big help for the care of children with childhood cancer, belonging to the beneficiary population of India. “This programme is huge, as you know, 60 crore people,” he said.
Dr Ramandeep Arora, member of the governing council of Indian Childhood Cancer Initiative (ICCI) and paediatric oncologist, Max Hospital, said that the clinical facilities and expertise is available in the country, and what is needed is a little help from the government to expand outcomes on the ground.
“A National Childhood Cancer Programme and an MoU with the WHO to make India a partner and focus country will further bring in global best practices and technology to the country,” said Dr Arora.
Dr Arora also pointed to such a suggestion from a parliamentary standing committee.
In September 2022, a department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, Rajya Sabha, in its 139th Report on Cancer Care Plan and Management: Prevention, Diagnosis, Research and Affordability of Cancer Treatment, formally acknowledged the need for a dedicated childhood cancer policy framework in India.
He said that the Report observed: “The government is in agreement with the view that the Ministry must work towards formulating a National Childhood Cancer Comprehensive Management Policy which involves Early Diagnosis, Shared Care, Integrated Paediatric Oncology Palliative Care across the Public Health Facilities.”
Bishnu Giri, Technical Officer (Cancer Control), WHO, South East Asian Region, said, “Expending on childhood cancer is not a fancy expenditure, as there is a huge monetary gain of $3 from every dollar spent on the disease. The gain is even more in developing nations, apart from social gains.”
He suggested sustainable financing by leveraging flexible sources of funding to improve childhood cancer care and outcomes.
Abhishek Kunwar, National Professional Officer-NCD, WHO, India, said, “We need to learn from the existing programmes for non-communicable diseases and do not need to have a separate programme for any particular disease.”
According to ICCI and studies, in India, an estimated 75,000 new childhood cancer cases are diagnosed annually. The survival rate is less than 60%.
The workshop was organised by ICCI, which is a national multi-stakeholder platform launched in 2023 for strengthening childhood cancer care in India through coordinated action, advocacy and policy engagement.