India State Opens 5 New Palliative Care Centers for Cancer

Cancer patients in Andhra Pradesh, India will soon find comfort closer to home as the state opens five new palliative care centers in major teaching hospitals.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced the centers will open in Kurnool, Guntur, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati, each offering five to ten beds for terminally ill patients. Nursing staff are receiving specialized training through the Homi Bhabha Cancer Institute to provide expert comfort care.

The timing couldn't be more critical. Cancer cases in the state have jumped from 25,487 in 2020 to 35,546 in 2025, prompting the government to expand care at every level.

The state isn't stopping at palliative care. Twenty-three day-care chemotherapy centers are already operational in smaller hospitals, saving patients hours of travel and significant costs by bringing treatment to their communities.

Early detection efforts are showing impressive reach. More than 14 million men have been screened for oral cancer, while over 7.6 million women have received screenings for oral, breast, and cervical cancers.

The Ripple Effect

Understanding that many women feel hesitant about cervical cancer screening, health workers are now delivering personalized invitation letters door-to-door. Each letter includes the exact venue, date, and time for screening, removing barriers that might keep women from getting tested.

The state created a Cancer Atlas using five years of treatment data, revealing that 64% of cancer patients receiving government care are women. This insight is driving targeted outreach to the populations who need it most.

All teaching hospitals now offer dedicated screening on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 222, where patients can see specialists and get diagnostic tests in one location on the same day. No more running between departments or waiting weeks for appointments.

The government plans to expand palliative care centers to all teaching hospitals in phases and is considering bringing cancer care services to every district headquarters. What started as five centers could soon become a statewide network of comfort and hope for families facing the hardest journeys.

Every new center means fewer families traveling far from home during their most difficult days.