Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam leads India with a 62 percent cancer survival rate. State Health Minister Ashok Singhal confirmed the figure during the recent Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly. The national average sits at 40 percent. Singhal credits the jump to a decentralized care model and aggressive early detection programs.
The state built a network of 17 cancer hospitals to move care beyond Guwahati and Dibrugarh. Twelve of these facilities are already running. They operate in locations like Silchar, Barpeta, and Kokrajhar. The government plans to add proton therapy to its arsenal within the next few weeks. Assam will be the first state in India to offer this advanced treatment.
Mass screenings are finding tumors much earlier. The state aims to check 1.24 crore people. Crews have scanned 47 lakh residents so far. This effort caught over 900 cases before they became untreatable. "The increase in detected cases reflects the success of mass screening, as cancers that would otherwise have been diagnosed in advanced stages are now being identified at Stages I and II," Singhal said.
The Assam Cancer Care Network recorded over 71,000 new patients through May 2026. Hospitals provided nearly 1.6 lakh chemotherapy sessions and performed over 9,500 surgeries. Everything is free under government schemes. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare now wants other states to copy this system. Bihar officials already visited to study the model.
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