Grace Cancer Foundation Signs MoU With Meghalaya Government for Cancer Screening

The agreements will enable the rollout of free cancer screening programmes in Meghalaya and Tripura, beginning in February 2026.

Hyderabad-based non-governmental organization Grace Cancer Foundation (GCF) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Government of Meghalaya, marking its entry into the North-Eastern region of India. 

The agreements will enable the rollout of free cancer screening programmes in Meghalaya and Tripura, beginning in February 2026.

The expansion represents a geographic scale-up of GCF’s cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support initiatives, which the Foundation has been running for over 12 years. According to the organization, the screening programmes will focus on improving early diagnosis in underserved communities across the region.

The move follows an appeal made by Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Verma during GCF’s 11th anniversary celebrations, where he urged the Foundation to extend its services to the North East and highlighted the importance of compassion-led healthcare interventions. Speaking at the event, the Governor emphasized the role of empathy in healthcare delivery, stating that social responsibility should remain central to medical outreach initiatives.

As part of the expansion, the GCF-WAY Model of cancer screening is scheduled to be officially initiated on World Cancer Day, observed on February 4, during the second Meghalaya Cancer Conclave 2026 in Shillong. The Foundation confirmed that the programme will be launched in coordination with state authorities to support early detection efforts.

Dr Sunkavalli Chinnababu, Founder of Grace Cancer Foundation and a surgical oncologist, said the decision to expand into Meghalaya was aligned with the Foundation’s long-standing focus on improving access to quality cancer screening services. He noted that the organization has progressively scaled its operations beyond its initial geographies in response to growing demand for early detection programmes.

In 2025, Grace Cancer Foundation screened over 61,000 individuals across its initiatives, resulting in more than 1,000 early cancer detections. For 2026, the Foundation has set a target to screen over one lakh people through its nationwide programmes.

According to data shared by the organization, Grace Cancer Foundation has reached nearly 1.4 crore individuals over the past 12 years through awareness campaigns, screening drives, and patient support initiatives. Its activities span education, early detection, timely treatment referrals, rehabilitation support, and research-oriented programmes.

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