**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1349, dated February 6th, 2026, regarding cancer screening and infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh. It details the financial and technical assistance provided by the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) for cancer screening, and the operational definitions for tracking Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Annexures provide district-wise details of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) equipped for cancer screening and health personnel trained in cancer screening.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **NP-NCD Assistance:**
* The NP-NCD provides financial and technical assistance to States and Union Territories for strengthening infrastructure, human resources, screening, early diagnosis, referrals, treatment, and awareness for NCD prevention.
* Financial and technical assistance is provided to States and Union Territories for screening eligible populations as per program guidelines.
* Screening costs vary by State/Union Territory depending on factors like population coverage, geographical conditions, facilities, manpower deployment, and approved program implementation plans.
* **Andhra Pradesh Cancer Screening Infrastructure:**
* District-wise details of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) equipped for conducting cancer screening are provided in Annexure I.
* District-wise details of health personnel trained for cancer screening in Andhra Pradesh are provided in Annexure II.
* Training is conducted regularly through orientation and refresher programs.
* **Operational Definitions for NCD Tracking in Andhra Pradesh:**
* **Screened:** Individual administered a standardized symptom questionnaire and examined for relevant clinical signs as per the approved screening tool.
* **Evaluated:** Individuals with positive symptom/sign responses referred to a Medical Officer for further evaluation and specialist assessment at Preventive Oncology Units (POUs).
* **Diagnosed:** Individuals attending the POU who are confirmed to have a disease based on clinical, radiological, and/or pathological evaluation.
* **Followed Up:** Individuals assessed by specialists requiring continued observation, periodic review, or post-treatment monitoring.
* **Treated:** Individuals referred to appropriate department/specialty following diagnosis; considered "treated" after complete recovery.
* **Referral Process:**
* All suspected cases identified by the Medical Officer are referred to Preventive Oncology Units (POU) established in medical colleges through a dedicated online application.
* All suspected cases are tracked since the patient reaches the POU, including diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment status.
**Impact Analysis**
**State and Union Territories**
*Impact:* They will receive financial and technical assistance from NP-NCD, but need to plan and manage screening based on program guidelines and local conditions.
*Action Required:* Develop and implement screening programs, manage finances, and ensure appropriate resource allocation.
**Government of Andhra Pradesh**
*Impact:* Details the implementation of cancer screening infrastructure and personnel training in the state.
*Action Required:* Maintain and augment screening facilities and training programs. Ensure smooth referral processes to Preventive Oncology Units.
**Medical Officers and Specialists in Andhra Pradesh**
*Impact:* The operational definitions impact their assessment and referral procedures.
*Action Required:* Adhere to the defined screening, evaluation, diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment protocols for NCDs.
Key Entities Referenced
National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD): A program providing financial and technical assistance to States and Union Territories for NCD prevention, including cancer screening.
Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs): Formerly Health and Wellness Centres, these are equipped to conduct cancer screening.
Andhra Pradesh: The state for which cancer screening infrastructure and training data is being provided.
GOVERNMENT OFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1349
TOBE ANSWERED ON6THFEBRUARY,2026
CANCERSCREENING AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN ANDHRAPRADESH
1349 SHRIDAGGUMALLAPRASADARAO:
Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE be pleasedtostate:
(a) whether the Government has estimated the cost of screening the eligible population for
commoncancersinthe country andif so, the detailsthereof;
(b) the total number of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly Health and Wellness Centres)
currentlyequippedtoconduct cancerscreening, Stateanddistrict-wise for Andhra Pradesh;
(c) the availability of required equipment and trained personnel at these centres, State-wise and
district-wise inAndhra Pradesh;
(d) whether the Government proposes to augment the training of personnel and medical
infrastructure for cancerscreening inunderserved districts andif so, the detailsthereof;
(e) the details of the operational definitions used in the NCD (non-communicable diseases)
trackerfor termssuch as‘screened’,‘evaluated’,‘diagnosed’,‘followed-up’ and‘treated’; and
(f) the details of the process through which referrals and post-diagnosis management of cancer
cases are beingtrackedacross facilities anddistricts?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV)
(a) The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-
NCD) provides financial and technical assistance to States and Union Territories with a focuson
strengthening infrastructure, human resources, screening, early diagnosis, referrals, treatment,
and awareness for NCD prevention. States and Union Territories are provided financial and
technical assistance for undertaking screening of the eligible population as per programme
guidelines. The cost of screening varies across States and Union Territories depending upon
population coverage, geographical conditions, availability of facilities, manpower deployment
andapprovedProgrammeImplementation Plans.
(b) to (e) As per information provided by Government of Andhra Pradesh, district wise list of
Ayushman Arogya Mandirs(AAMs) equipped for conducting cancer screening are attached at
Annexure I. District-wise details of health personals trained for cancer screening in AndhraPradesh is attached as Annexure II. Training is regularly in form of orientation as well as
refresher training. Further, Government of Andhra Pradesh uses following operational
definitionsof terminologies for trackingof NCDs:-
Screened: An individual is considered “screened” when they have been administered the
standardized symptom questionnaire and examined for relevant clinical signs as per the
approvedscreeningtool.
Evaluated:Individuals identifiedduring screening with one or more positive responses for
symptoms or signs are referred to a Medical Officer for further evaluation. The Medical
Officer re-examines these individuals and determines the need for specialist assessment.
Those requiring further assessment are referred to Preventive Oncology Units (POUs),
wherespecialistconsultationanddiagnosticservicesareavailable.
Diagnosed: Individuals who attend the POU and, based on clinical, radiological, and/or
pathological evaluation, are confirmed to have a disease condition are categorized as
“diagnosed.”
FollowedUp: Individuals assessed by specialists who require continued observation,
periodic review, or post-treatment monitoring are categorizedasbeing“underfollow-up.”
Treated: Following diagnosis, individuals are referred to the appropriate department or
specialty, aftercompleterecoveryit iscalledtreated.
(f) All suspected cases identified by the Medical Officer are referred to the Preventive
Oncology Unit (POU) established inmedicalcollegesthrough a dedicated online application.All
suspected cases are tracked since the patient reaches the POU, including the status of diagnosis,
follow-up, andtreatment.AnnexureI
District-wise detailsof health facilityequippedwith commonscreening of cancer inAndhra
Pradesh
No.of Urban
S.No Name of theDistrict No.ofPHCs SC-AAMs
PHCs
1 Alluri SeetaramaRaju 63 0 297
2 Anakapalli 45 9 424
3 Anantapur 44 25 433
4 Annamayya 47 11 375
5 Bapatla 43 12 363
6 Chittoor 48 15 464
7 East Godavari 31 15 368
8 Eluru 58 18 463
9 Guntur 26 47 212
10 Kakinada 37 24 410
11 Konaseema 46 7 432
12 Krishna 49 15 357
13 Kurnool 35 28 428
14 Nandyal 51 19 369
15 NTR 23 48 257
16 Palnadu 39 26 361
17 ParvathipuramManyam 37 5 282
18 Prakasam 64 19 538
19 SPSRNellore 52 28 497
20 SriSathyaSai 41 18 379
21 Srikakulam 66 13 594
22 Tirupati 58 26 440
23 Visakhapatnam 8 66 54
24 Vizianagaram 48 18 482
25 West Godavari 34 18 366
26 YSRKadapa 51 30 387
GrandTotal 1144 560 10032AnnexureII
District-wise detailsof health personals trainedfor cancerscreening inAndhra Pradesh
No. of HealthPersonalstrained
NameoftheDistrict
S.No
1 Alluri Seetha Rama Raju 532
2 Anakapalli 675
3 Anantapur 837
4 Annamayya 671
5 Bapatla 668
6 Chittoor 784
7 East Godavari 668
8 Eluru 843
9 Guntur 696
10 Kakinada 800
11 Konaseema 705
12 Krishna 669
13 Kurnool 893
14 Nandyala 748
15 NTR 753
16 Palnadu 762
17 ParvathipuramManyam 470
18 Prakasam 1045
19 SPSR Nellore 1008
20 SriSatya Sai 711
21 Srikakulam 961
22 Tirupati 887
23 Visakhapatnam 712
24 Vizianagaram 790
25 West Godavari 688
26 YSRKadapa 868
Total 19844