Gurgaon: Haryana govt has told Supreme Court that a separate declaration of cancer as a “notifiable disease” is not required.The state, already, has a mandatory system for reporting cancer cases in place since 2014, the govt told SC, ahead of a hearing.This comes in the wake of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Dr Anurag Srivastava, seeking uniform and mandatory reporting of cancer cases across the country.“Cancer is a non-communicable and non-infectious disease and does not spread from one person to another or have community spread,” Haryana govt said, adding that mandatory notification is generally intended for communicable or infectious diseases, where reporting helps authorities monitor disease patterns and respond to outbreaks.The submission was made in a compliance affidavit filed by Haryana health services director general (DGHS) Dr Manish Bansal on behalf of the state on Sept 19.Department of medical education and research is also working on strengthening cancer registration through a digital system, with integration of cancer registration and existing medical datasets, the affidavit said.Supreme Court, in its Aug 11 order, had directed the states and Union Territories to consider the recommendations — following the petition — for declaring cancer a notifiable disease and take an appropriate decision, with compliance affidavits to be filed. The matter was listed for Sept 21.The state govt said its existing system already addresses the concerns raised in the petition regarding cancer surveillance and reporting.Haryana relied on a govt notification issued on Oct 29, 2014, which requires hospitals, private and govt institutions, diagnostic centres, laboratories and other health facilities treating cancer patients to report diagnosed cases to the head of the pathology department, PGIMS, Rohtak.“The notification requires the report to be submitted in the prescribed format within one week of diagnosis. It also directs institutions to maintain confidentiality and prevent disclosure of the identity of cancer patients,” it said.The state govt said the notification provides for uniform, compulsory and time-bound reporting of cancer cases across Haryana.In its affidavit, it has informed the court that hospital-based cancer registries are operational at institutions including Atal Cancer Care Centre at Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantonment, PGIMS Rohtak, National Cancer Institute, Jhajjar, Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College, Khanpur Kalan and ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad, besides other govt and private tertiary care institutions.The state govt also cited data from chief registrar (births & deaths), Haryana, according to which 521 of the 67,540 death events recorded in 2025 were due to cancer.It said directions had been issued to civil surgeons to improve implementation of the medical certification of cause of death system. Training has also been ordered for medical officers and senior medical officers to improve reporting under the system.Haryana said it had implemented Haryana cancer atlas under National cancer registry programme, with govt and private diagnostic and treatment centres registered with National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research. Data was collected under the project between Jan 2016 and Dec 2017.The state govt said cancer screening under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases is being carried out in all 22 districts, with a focus on oral, breast and cervical cancers.Suspected cases detected through screening are referred to higher health facilities for confirmation, diagnosis and treatment.Haryana also highlighted its cancer treatment infrastructure, including Atal Cancer Care Centre at Ambala and District Cancer Care Centres being established at district civil hospitals.The affidavit said anti-cancer drugs are provided free to eligible patients at district hospitals and financial assistance is available under govt schemes.The state has also provided free travel to cancer patients and one attendant on Haryana Roadways buses. According to the affidavit, 10,102 cancer patients used the free travel facility in 2024-25.
