Srinagar, Feb 3: In Kashmir, the Cancer treatment and care infrastructure meant to alleviate suffering remains crippled by systemic gaps, staff shortages, and delayed promises, leaving patients grappling with agonizing waits for diagnosis and treatment.
Kashmir’s battle against cancer is intensifying, with nearly 50,000 new cases reported over the past seven years.
The State Cancer Institute (SCI) at SKIMS Soura Srinagar, was expected to transform cancer care in Kashmir but has fallen short of its mandate. While it shifted services from a cramped ward at SKIMS Soura to a dedicated facility, the institute never achieved its full potential. The primary reason? A lack of dedicated staff. Instead of recruiting new personnel, SCI siphoned existing manpower from SKIMS, leading to depleted teams across both institutions. Over the years, retirements at every level have exacerbated the crisis. For instance, SKIMS’ Nuclear Medicine Department responsible for critical PET scans and therapies now operates with just one faculty member.
“The SCI was meant to be a beacon of hope, but without staff, it’s a building with machines,” said a senior oncologist, requesting anonymity. “Patients wait months for scans, surgeries, or radiotherapy. By the time they begin treatment, the disease often advances.”
Many doctors that Greater Kashmir spoke to acknowledge that the paucity of human resources led to delays that sometimes prove catastrophic. “PET scans, crucial for staging cancers, are delayed by weeks. Over 70% of cancers in Kashmir are diagnosed at advanced stages, slashing survival odds,” a senior doctor involved in cancer treatment said. He added that he has seen many patients with advanced-stage cancers. “Months are the difference between life and death in cancer. Months must not be the wait period,” he said.
Health Minister Sakina Masood acknowledged the crisis while speaking to Greater Kashmir. “Late diagnosis and treatment gaps directly impact survival rates. We need facilities, manpower, and equipment—urgently,” she said.
While SCI Srinagar recently acquired a linear accelerator (to be Commissioned) and a 4T CT scanner, these additions are a drop in the ocean. The institute’s building remains incomplete, missing two floors intended for operation theaters and ICUs, stalled by funding delays. Recruitment drives for faculty, nurses, and paramedics have repeatedly failed, leaving Kashmir’s SCI lagging far behind its counterparts in other Indian states.
“Cancer care isn’t just about new machines, it’s about sustained human expertise,” said a medical officer at SKIMS. “Patients need months of chemo, radiation, and follow-ups. Without staff, how do we deliver that?”
The urgency is underscored by alarming data from Kashmir’s Population-Based Cancer Registry (PbCR). Over 9,400 new cases are projected for 2024: a 24% jump from 2023. Stomach cancer dominates among males (19%), while breast cancer leads in females (19%), followed by lung and colorectal cancers.
Experts attribute the rise to environmental toxins, lifestyle shifts, and dietary habits. Yet, prevention remains sidelined.
