BHUBANESWAR: The state government has committed `311 crore towards strengthening cancer care in Odisha, with focus on expanding treatment facilities, mass screening and improving access to affordable care, said Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling on Monday.
Addressing the FICCI ‘OncoPharma 2026’ Roundtable here, Mahaling said daycare chemotherapy centres have been established across all 32 districts, delivering more than 35,000 chemotherapy treatment cycles and expanding cancer treatment closer to patients in different parts of the state. The government has also integrated 91 specialised cancer packages under state health schemes to reduce the financial burden on vulnerable families, he said.
The minister said Odisha is participating in the national HPV vaccination drive for young girls, while the Sustha Nari, Sasakta Parivar initiative has screened more than 1.5 crore women for breast, cervical and oral cancers.
Mahaling urged greater participation from the private sector, industrial houses and technology startups to take advanced screening and diagnostic services to rural and remote communities. He also called upon major corporations in Odisha to use their CSR funds to adopt districts and deploy mobile cancer screening vans.
FICCI Odisha State Council chairman Jagannath P Nayak said equitable access, sustainable financing and early detection are critical to reducing the financial, emotional and social burden of cancer on families. He stressed the need for closer collaboration among government, healthcare professionals, industry and patient advocacy groups.
DMET Dr Durga Madhab Satpathy and Drug Controller Mamina Patnaik also spoke.