Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Jan 2: Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura — the only tertiary care cancer treatment centre in Kashmir — is facing serious criticism from patients and healthcare professionals over the non-availability of several crucial and advanced diagnostic tests required for accurate detection, staging, and monitoring of cancers.
Despite catering to thousands of cancer patients from across the Valley and adjoining regions, SKIMS currently lacks access to a wide range of essential investigations that are considered standard of care in modern oncology. As a result, a majority of patients are being compelled to travel to hospitals outside Jammu and Kashmir, mainly in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai and other metropolitan cities, for both diagnosis and treatment.
While a small section of patients can afford the financial burden of travel, accommodation and private testing, the majority — particularly those from rural and economically weaker backgrounds — are left to suffer due to delayed or incomplete treatment.
Details reveal that several critical investigations are unavailable or inaccessible at SKIMS. These include HLA Typing for Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), essential for matching donors and recipients in blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma; Chimerism Testing to assess transplant success; Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Testing to detect microscopic cancer cells post-treatment; Bone Marrow Biopsy with Extended IHC Panel to identify specific cancer subtypes; and stool tests for Clostridium difficile, vital for chemotherapy patients vulnerable to infections.
Other unavailable tests include Quantitative CMV PCR for Cytomegalovirus infections, Galactomannan & Procalcitonin Tests for early detection of fungal and bacterial infections, drug level monitoring for immunosuppressive and chemotherapy drugs, advanced genetic testing such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Cytogenetics by FISH, and several specialised molecular and cytogenetic tests critical for diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy.
The details of tests unavailable at Cancer Institute SKIMS were given through an RTI by a noted RTI activist, M M Shuja.
Oncologists said the absence of these tests leads to delayed diagnosis, inaccurate staging, inability to monitor treatment response, higher relapse risks, and preventable deaths.
A senior oncologist, requesting anonymity, said, “Cancer treatment today is precision-based. Without molecular diagnostics and genetic profiling, we are often treating patients blindly.”
While Jammu has seen upgrades in testing facilities, especially with the operationalisation of AIIMS Jammu, Kashmir remains affected by the diagnostic gap.
A lymphoma patient from south Kashmir said, “I was referred to Delhi just for tests, spending over Rs 1.5 lakh before treatment even began. Poor patients simply give up.”
Due to these deficiencies, referrals outside the Valley have surged. Many patients sell land, livestock, or take loans to continue treatment, while others discontinue therapy altogether due to financial constraints. Healthcare activists warn that this diagnostic gap is creating a two-tier cancer care system—one for those who can afford treatment outside Kashmir, and another for those who cannot.
Patients, civil society groups, and medical professionals are demanding immediate upgrades to SKIMS’ diagnostic laboratories, the establishment of molecular oncology and cytogenetics units, and a clear, time-bound roadmap for comprehensive cancer care in Kashmir.
Until these measures are implemented, experts fear that Kashmir’s cancer patients will continue to suffer silently, not because of a lack of disease, but due to inadequate diagnostic support at the region’s only cancer institute. (KNO)
