In News:

The Supreme Court has directed the 19 States/UTs that have not yet notified cancer to consider declaring it a notifiable disease, with the objective of improving cancer surveillance, early detection and patient care.

Key Facts

• 17 of 36 States/UTs have already notified cancer, following recommendations of a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
• The direction came during a PIL seeking uniform and mandatory reporting of cancer cases across India.
• The PIL highlighted gaps in the ICMR’s National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP):
  • Covers only about 10% of India’s population.
  • Rural coverage is around 1%.
• Mandatory notification can facilitate:
  • Systematic and comprehensive cancer data collection
  • Better disease surveillance
  • Early detection
  • Improved treatment planning and resource allocation
  • Reduction in disparities in cancer care

What is a Notifiable Disease?

A notifiable disease is one that healthcare providers are legally required to report to designated public-health authorities.

• Reporting requirements and disease lists can vary across States/UTs.
• In India, disease notification is largely decentralised, with State/UT governments playing a major role.
• Surveillance is supported by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Constitutional & Governance Dimension

• Public health is primarily a State subject, creating variations in disease-notification practices.
• The issue also raises questions concerning uniformity of healthcare and the right to health and dignity, linked to Articles 14 and 21.
• The PIL has also proposed a centralised, real-time digital cancer registry integrating hospital, state and mortality data.

International Context

The International Health Regulations (IHR), 2005, under the WHO, provide a legally binding framework requiring countries to notify the WHO of public-health events that may have international implications.