A.P. Health Minister flags rising cancer cases, urges early testing

Minister for Health Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday (February 01, 2026) said that cancer had personally shaken him, as he lost both his mother and sister to the disease. Coming from a family affected by cancer, the Minister said, he understood first hand the devastating impact it can have on families. “After taking charge as Health Minister, the first file I signed was related to cancer screening,” he said.

The Minister was speaking at a Walkathon organised to raise awareness on cancer by the Mahatma Gandhi Cancer Hospital and Research Institute on the Beach Road, here, on Sunday.

Mr. Satya Kumar said that cancer can be defeated, if it is detected at an early stage. He reiterated that all necessary steps are being taken by the government to reduce cancer cases, improve access to quality treatment, and create awareness among the public.

The Health Minister expressed concern that the rise in cancer cases in the State was higher than the national average. While the State reported 25,487 cases till 2020, the number increased to 35,546 by 2025, showing a rise of 39.5 per cent. In comparison, cancer cases at the national level have increased by only 12.8 per cent, he noted.

The government has focused on identifying oral, breast, and cervical cancers at the primary stage through screening.

“So far, free oral cancer screening has been conducted for 1,39,07,523 people. Of them, 3,41,179 were identified for further testing and 98 cases have been confirmed. Breast cancer screening was conducted for 73,78,836 women, with 1,65,022 requiring follow-up tests, leading to the detection of 104 cases. Free cervical cancer screening was also conducted for 73,78,836 women, of whom 2,25,049 were found to need further tests, and 58 cases have been identified so far,” he said.

The Minister also said that the government is spending nearly ₹600 crore every year on free cancer treatment for patients under the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust. Preventive oncology centres have been established in 17 teaching hospitals across the State. Day-care chemotherapy centres are also being expanded in secondary hospitals so that patients can undergo chemotherapy without difficulty, as advised by doctors.

He said all steps are being taken to develop a Level-1 cancer care centre at Guntur Government General Hospital. A State-level cancer centre is being developed at Kurnool Government General Hospital at a cost of ₹120 crore. Efforts are also being made to strengthen cancer services at the Kadapa cancer centre to provide relief to patients.

Referring to requests for a PET scan facility at the cancer centre in KGH, Visakhapatnam, the Minister assured that the matter would be examined positively.

Meanwhile, the walkathon received an overwhelming response, with large number of participation of medical students and citizens. The participants raised slogans “Good Morning Vizag – Good Bye Cancer”. Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, South MLA Ch Vamsikrishna Srinivas and others were also present.