Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal
Guwahati
A decentralised cancer care model and a large-scale early detection programme have helped Assam record a 62% survival rate, the highest in India, State Health Minister Ashok Singhal has said.
Speaking during the Budget session of the 126-member Assam Assembly on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), he said the cancer survival rate in Assam was significantly higher than the national average of 40%.
“Our comprehensive approach to cancer care includes early detection, treatment, palliative care, survivorship, and research. We also have in place a decentralised network of cancer hospitals to ensure treatment is accessible beyond Guwahati and Dibrugarh,” Mr. Singhal said.
These two urban centres have Assam’s oldest medical colleges, a network of private hospitals, and cancer care centres, including the B. Barooah Cancer Institute (Guwahati).
The Minister said 12 of the State’s 17 planned cancer hospitals are operational. These are the State Cancer Institute (attached to the 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.
“We have intensified cancer screening with a target to cover 1.24 crore people. About 47 lakh people have been screened so far, resulting in the early detection of more than 900 cancer patients,” Mr Singhal said.
He said that the increase in detected cases reflected the success of the mass screening programme. “Earlier, most cases were detected at advanced stages. Now patients are being diagnosed at stages I and II, improving treatment outcomes,” he added.
He claimed that Assam would become the first State in the country to offer proton therapy for cancer patients “within a few weeks”.
Mr. Singhal also highlighted the performance of the Assam Cancer Care Network till May 2026. The network registered 2,26,923 new cases, including 71,517 new cancer patients; provided 5,83,533 outpatient consultations; admitted 48,659 inpatients; administered 1,56,973 chemotherapy sessions; delivered radiation therapy to 17,408 patients; performed 9,563 major surgeries; and conducted more than one lakh CT scans, he said.
He said in most cases, the treatment was offered free of cost under various government schemes.
Mr. Singhal further said that 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 our healthcare system,” he said.
Published – July 08, 2026 04:56 pm IST