Cancer Claims More Lives Than Conflict in Jammu Kashmir: Waheed Para | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a sharp increase in cancer cases, with official data showing that an average of 38 new patients are being diagnosed every day across the Union Territory.

Figures released by the Union Health Ministry recently indicate that 14,112 cancer cases were reported in 2024 alone, pushing the total number of registered cases over the last five years to 67,037.

The data reflects a consistent year-on-year rise. In 2020, Jammu Kashmir recorded 12,726 cases, which increased to 13,060 in 2021, followed by 13,395 in 2022 and 13,744 in 2023, before reaching the current year’s highest tally. Health experts have termed the trend worrying, noting that many patients continue to be diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease.

The statistics also point to clear gender-based patterns. Among men, stomach cancer is the most common, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of cases, followed by lung cancer at 16 per cent. In women, breast cancer remains the leading form, comprising 19 per cent of total cases, while stomach cancer ranks second at about 9 per cent. Cancers of the oesophagus and colon together form a significant portion of cases among both sexes.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), multiple factors are contributing to the rise, including improved access to diagnostic facilities, better reporting mechanisms, increased life expectancy and a growing elderly population. Lifestyle-related risks such as tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity and diets rich in salt, sugar and saturated fats are also strongly linked to the growing burden.

Reacting to the figures, MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para voiced serious concern over the escalating cancer toll in the region, stating that the disease has claimed more lives than decades of conflict in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a post on X, Para said nearly 67,000 people have died due to cancer in the past five years, a number comparable to the estimated 67,000 conflict-related deaths over the last three decades. He warned that limited treatment facilities are forcing families—especially those from economically weaker sections—to sell land and other assets to seek care outside Kashmir.

Cancer is killing 300 times more people than conflict in J&K.

Cancer: 67,000 deaths in 5 years
Conflict: 67,000 deaths in 30 years

The biggest battles are often the ones we don’t see. Families, especially the poor, are forced to sell land and assets to seek treatment outside…

— Waheed Para (@parawahid) January 21, 2026

Describing the situation as both a public health and governance crisis, Para tagged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and urged the government to urgently strengthen cancer care infrastructure and expand treatment capacity within the region.

“The government must act without delay to address this growing health emergency,” he wrote.

Doctors warn the surge demands urgent intervention, wider screening and stronger preventive care, as Jammu and Kashmir records nearly four dozen new cancer cases daily.