India has found a way to increase the number of doctors specifically to treat cancer. The Union health ministry will soon allow every professor of three disciplines - radiotherapy, medical oncology and surgical oncology - to teach three students as against the existing norm of two.

Besides, associate professors across all specialities will be allowed to take two students under their wing as against one as per the present norm. Assistant professors, who qualify to be associate professors, will also be allowed to take one student under their care.

A ministry official told TOI "The Medical Council of India has sent us these recommendations. We will clear the proposal, and ask MCI to notify the new rules this week itself."

In order to ramp up the country's skilled medical manpower, the government had come out with a similar notification in 2009. As against the average global norm of teacher-student ratio of 1:3 in post-graduate level, the ministry made it two students per one teacher. Till then, the teacher-student ratio in India was 1:1.

An official added, "The number of cancer cases is spiraling in India, but we don't have enough doctors to treat it. The new notifications would increase number of doctors by at least 5,000."

Doctors across 21 states will also soon get a one-year crash course in oncology, especially training in early detection of cancer and how to deliver chemotherapy. Cancer annually kills four lakhs Indians. In developing countries, cancer ranks third as a cause of death and accounts for 9.5% (3.8 million) of all mortality. Cancer is curable if detected early. The results of treatment in stage I and II (early stage) are about 80%. In late stage diseases (stage III and IV), the results are less than 20%.

In India, about 70% patients are in advanced stage, and are difficult to treat. By 2015, the number of new cases is expected to cross 15 lakhs. Among Indian males, lung, head and neck cancer are most common and among women, breast and cervical cancer are most frequent.

According to the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer announced in June, 2010, 65 tertiary cancer centres that would carry out screening, biopsy and treatment of cancer will be set up in 21 states.

According to the ministry, there are about 2.8 million cases of cancer in India at any given time and more than half a million patients die due to cancer every year. The ministry is giving Rs 1 crore to each district hospital to provide free chemotherapy to 100 patients. It will give Rs 100 crore (an estimated cost of chemotherapy per patient per year being Rs 1 lakh) to the 100 shortlisted district hospitals to provide free chemotherapy.