New Delhi, Aug. 12 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked states and union territories to consider issuing notification declaring cancer as a "notifiable disease" observing that a uniform policy is the need of the hour to ensure the burgeoning cancer cases can be effectively remedied.

The order came in a public interest litigation filed by one Anurag Srivastava, an academic surgeon and researcher who retired from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Delhi.

The bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, "So far, 17 states and union territories have so far notified cancer as a 'notifiable disease' in the light of recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family W...