HYDERABAD: Telangana recorded a surge of over 12,000 cancer cases over the last ten years, with a consistent rise since 2015, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In 2015, the state reported 40,177 cancer cases, which increased to 52,334 in 2024. Telangana ranked 13th in the country in terms of the number of cancer cases, with an average increase of around 1,000 cases every year.
The data was presented by Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in response to a question raised by Kanimozi Karunanidhi during the question hour of the ongoing Lok Sabha session.
As per the Global Cancer Observatory of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, India recorded the third-highest number of cancer cases in the world at 14,13,316, with a rate of 98.5 per 1,00,000 population. China topped the list with 48,24,703 cases at a rate of 201.6 per 1,00,000, followed by the United States with 23,80,189 cases at a rate of 367 per 1,00,000.
State-wise data showed Telangana reporting 40,177 cases in 2015; 41,939 in 2016; 43,784 in 2017; 45,713 in 2018; 46,464 in 2019; 47,620 in 2020; 48,775 in 2021; 49,983 in 2022; 51,145 in 2023; and 52,334 cases in 2024.
The minister said treatment for major non-communicable diseases, including cancer, is available under Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which provides coverage of `5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care.
The ministry also provides one-time financial assistance of up to `15 lakh under the Cancer Patient Fund, a component of the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, for the treatment of poor cancer patients at Regional Cancer Centres, Tertiary Care Cancer Centres, State Cancer Institutes and other government hospitals with cancer treatment facilities.