5,727 people died of cancer in Maharashtra in 2019: Minister

As many as 5,727 people in Maharashtra died due to cancer last year, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday.

Replying to a question raised in the state Legislative Council by BJP MLC Niranjan Davkhare, the minister said the number of experts treating cancer patients was not sufficient as compared to the population of the state.

"The National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research has stated that 11,306 people were suffering from cancer and 5,727 of them died in the calendar year 2019," Tope said in a written reply.

He said out of the 36 districts in the state, the civil hospitals in 11 districts have already started offering chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.

READ | Assam BJP Legislator Insists Cow Urine & Dung Can Cure Coronavirus, 'just Like Cancer'

In other districts, the state government's Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya scheme is covering the treatment in private hospitals, he said.

The minister further said the number of experts treating cancer was not sufficient compared to the population of the state.

Doctors and staff in 16 district civil hospitals have completed their training for cancer treatment at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, Tope said. A similar training for physicians and nurses will be completed in 2020-21, he added.

READ | One In 10 Indians Will Develop Cancer During Their Lifetime: WHO

READ | Coronavirus: Fear For Cancer Patients As Hospital Clinician Tested Positive In UK