GoI approves six ‘Day Care Cancer Centres’ for J&K

Srinagar, July 27: The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, has approved six Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) for Jammu and Kashmir to be set up in Jammu, Shopian, Reasi, Samba, Ramban, and Kishtwar.These are part of over 200 Day Care Cancer Centres approved for establishment across the country for the financial year 2025–26 to upgrade the cancer care facilities in rural areas.Government officials and sources said that the DCCCs will be established in District hospitals as per the availability of space and logistics. However, based on the feasibility and as per State proposals, DCCCs can be established in other Government health facilities also.They said the unit cost for establishment of DCCCs may be up to Rs. 1.49 Crores as per requirement and gaps at that facility.The fund requirement is fulfilled by the State Resource Envelope (RE) of National Health Mission (NHM) and proportion of States/UTs will be as per norms of NHM.Notably, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare conducted a national gap analysis using Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) cancer registry data and planned for establishment of Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in consultation with States, as per announcement in the Union Budget 2025-26. The official sources said that high-burden districts were prioritized, and proposals were submitted by the States/UTs and finalized by National Programme Coordination Committee (NPCC) to optimize resources and avoid duplication.According to the Union Budget 2025-26 announcement, the government plans to establish Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in all district hospitals within the next three years.Like many other parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a steady rise in cancer cases over the years. According to official figures, the region reported 64,463 cancer cases in the past seven years—50,551 from Kashmir and 13,912 from Jammu.