Supreme Court Asks 19 States and UTs to Consider Declaring Cancer a Notifiable Disease

The Supreme Court has ordered 19 States and Union Territories to think of declaring cancer as a “notifiable disease”. This move will help in enhancing cancer surveillance, early detection, and patient care. The order was passed by a bench led by CJI Surya Kant after he came to know that out of 36 States and UTs in India, 17 had already declared cancer as a notifiable disease. This order was issued on account of a PIL filed by an NGO seeking to declare cancer as a notifiable disease throughout the country.

What Has the Supreme Court Ordered?

The Supreme Court has asked the 19 States and UTs to ponder on the suggestions of declaring cancer as a notifiable disease and make appropriate decisions.

The court has also ordered the States to file compliance affidavits before the court, which will help in evaluating the steps taken by the concerned governments.

The central government had already informed the court that health is a state subject and that 17 states had already taken steps in this regard.

Why Is Cancer To Be Declared As Notifiable Disease?

Declaring cancer as notifiable will allow the systematized reporting of cancer patients to the concerned authority.

Better reporting can be helpful for the government to develop a database on cancer patients and their patterns.

It may also help in identifying trends from various regions and making policies for its prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

The issue becomes relevant because it comes in light due to the discussions on shortcomings in the cancer monitoring systems of India before the court.

What Is a Notifiable Disease?

Notifiable diseases are diseases whose cases must be reported to the public health authorities by the concerned professionals in accordance with the concerned laws and regulations.

Notification helps in collecting information about the cases and the pattern of diseases.

Notifications can include suspected, probable, and confirmed cases depending upon the requirements of the particular law. The list of notifiable diseases may differ depending upon the concerned state and union territories.

Commonly notified diseases in different regions of the India includes disease like tuberculosis, dengue, malaria, cholera, measles, polio, and leptospirosis. In 2024, snakebite was notified in some areas, and in 2025 human rabies was also notified recently.

Why is National Cancer Reporting Needed?

There is no unified list of notifiable diseases in India at the moment. States/UTs have significant freedom in deciding the list of diseases that should be reported in their territory.

Such a decentralization process can create disparities in the practice of reporting.

Making the reporting of cancer cases more common will help obtain more consistent data on the prevalence of various types of cancers and allow allocating healthcare resources more efficiently.

This can contribute to the better cooperation of health authorities, hospitals, and physicians.

Supreme Court Asks for Cancer Screening Too

In addition, the court asked for steps to implement cancer screening in the country.

Early diagnosis is possible thanks to screening. This can play a key role in some cancers. Thus, it is especially important in places where there is not enough infrastructure of health care services.

Thus, the court’s ruling relates to two key steps in cancer control.

What will Happen Next?

The 19 States and UTs which have not yet issued notifications regarding cancer will take into consideration the recommendations and will act accordingly.

They will give their affidavits of compliance to the Supreme Court, thus providing it with details about the action taken.

It may set a precedent for the monitoring and reporting of cancer cases in other states as well.