Assam achieves 62% cancer survival rate, highest in India: Health Minister
Assam has recorded a cancer survival rate of 62%, the highest in India, according to State Health Minister Ashok Singhal. Speaking in the Assam Assembly on Tuesday, he stated that this figure significantly exceeds the national average of 40%.
The achievement is attributed to a decentralised cancer care model and a large-scale early detection programme. The minister outlined a comprehensive approach encompassing early detection, treatment, palliative care, survivorship, and research. A network of cancer hospitals has been established to ensure treatment accessibility beyond the urban centres of Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
Of the 17 planned cancer hospitals, 12 are operational. These include the State Cancer Institute at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, cancer care centres in Barpeta, Dibrugarh, Diphu, and Silchar, and diagnostic and day-care centres in Golaghat, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Mangaldai, Tezpur, and Tinsukia.
The minister highlighted that cancer screening has been intensified, with a target to cover 1.24 crore people. So far, about 47 lakh people have been screened, leading to early detection of over 900 cancer patients. Earlier, most cases were detected at advanced stages; now patients are diagnosed at stages I and II, improving treatment outcomes.
Singhal also claimed that Assam would become the first state in the country to offer proton therapy for cancer patients within a few weeks. He provided data from the Assam Cancer Care Network up to May 2026: 2,26,923 new cases registered, including 71,517 new cancer patients; 5,83,533 outpatient consultations; 48,659 inpatients admitted; 1,56,973 chemotherapy sessions; radiation therapy to 17,408 patients; 9,563 major surgeries; and over one lakh CT scans. In most cases, treatment was free under government schemes.
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare has advised other states to adopt the Assam cancer care model. Some states, including Bihar, have already studied Assam's healthcare system, Singh added.
