Cancer should be declared notifiable disease: Parl panel

A parliamentary committee has recommended that cancer should be declared a notifiable disease across all states and Union Territories. Headed by Narain Dass Gupta, the Committee on Petitions, Rajya Sabha, in its 163rd report presented on Wednesday, said reliable data is vital for assessing public health issues, particularly cancer, where comprehensive information is essential to track trends, design policies and plan infrastructure. At present, cancer data is primarily drawn from NCRP, which covers only about 18% of the population, considered to be insufficient for a national picture.