Health Minister Prakash Abitkar also flagged an alarming rise in breast cancer cases among women, stating that delays in early detection have added to the overall disease burden. A significant number of patients suffering from oral, cervical, and breast cancers were detected during the campaign, he said
Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said the screening campaign identified 1,677 cancer patients across Maharashtra. FILE PIC
A cancer-screening drive conducted by the Maharashtra Public Health Department has found that increasing pollution levels in Mumbai are significantly contributing to lung cancer cases, which account for 57 per cent of diagnosed cases, the legislative assembly was informed on Tuesday.
Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said the screening campaign identified 1,677 cancer patients across Maharashtra. The findings showed that lung cancer forms a major share of diagnosed cases in Mumbai, with pollution emerging as a key contributing factor, news agency PTI reported.
He also flagged an alarming rise in breast cancer cases among women, stating that delays in early detection have added to the overall disease burden. A significant number of patients suffering from oral, cervical, and breast cancers were detected during the campaign, he said.
The issue of rising cancer cases was raised through a calling attention motion by legislator Sunil Prabhu, who urged the government to immediately allocate funds to Tata as well as government and private hospitals to strengthen cancer treatment facilities, PTI reported.
Several Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), including Amin Patel, Sulabha Khodke, Babasaheb Deshmukh, Kishor Patil, Bhaskar Jadhav, Rajkumar Badole, Sameer Kunawar, and Devyani Pharande, expressed concern over the growing number of cancer patients in the state.
Responding to the discussion, Abitkar said the government has decided to expand cancer screening and treatment infrastructure and develop a three-tier healthcare system at the taluka, district, and state levels to tackle the increasing burden of cancer cases, PTI reported.
He emphasised the need to establish nearly 100 hospitals on the lines of the Tata Memorial Hospital to meet rising demand for specialised care.
Maharashtra Budget Session 2026: Cancer diagnostic vans to be deployed across all districts
At present, radiotherapy services have been introduced in eight of the state’s 36 districts. Tenders have been floated to start similar facilities in 26 additional locations soon, he added.
Replying to a query by MLA Babasaheb Patil, the minister said the government is planning to include PET scan diagnostics under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, noting that the test is expensive for patients.
He further said that only eight cancer diagnostic vans are currently operational in the state, but the government has decided to increase their number and deploy mobile diagnostic units across all 36 districts.
Admitting that delayed early detection has contributed to the rising case load, Abitkar said screening and diagnostic infrastructure would be strengthened to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
