The Indian government is planning to establish a national childhood cancer registry to improve surveillance, reporting, and treatment outcomes for pediatric cancers across the country. The initiative, being developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, comes as India records nearly 75,000 new childhood cancer cases annually. Authorities are also considering making childhood cancer a “notifiable disease,” which would require hospitals and healthcare institutions to report diagnosed cases.
Experts believe this step could help generate accurate nationwide data, identify regional disease patterns, and support evidence-based healthcare planning. The report also highlighted concerns regarding delayed diagnosis, inconsistent access to specialized pediatric oncology services, and lower survival rates in several regions.…
