| Abstract: | Cancer among women represents a growing public health concern in India’s northeastern region, where complex socio-cultural and structural factors shape access to healthcare. This study examines the patterns of hospitalisations for breast and cervical cancer among women in Manipur, with a focus on socio-demographic and geographical inequalities. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted using inpatient records from the Female Oncology Ward at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal. The study includes 147 female patients diagnosed with breast (n=88) and cervical cancer (n=59) between January and December 2024. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics to examine age distribution, district of origin, religion, and monthly admission patterns. The findings indicate that breast cancer constituted a higher proportion of hospital admissions (59.9%) compared to cervical cancer (40.1%). Breast cancer patients were relatively younger (mean age 51.3 years), whereas cervical cancer patients were older (mean age 57.5 years). A pronounced geographical disparity was observed, with 82.3% of patients originating from valley districts and only 17.7% from hill districts. Monthly admission patterns showed uneven distribution, with over half of admissions concentrated in four months of the year. The study highlights that hospitalisation patterns are shaped not only by disease profiles but also by structural inequalities in access to healthcare. These findings underscore the need for decentralised screening, improved accessibility to tertiary care, and context-specific health interventions to address disparities in cancer care among women in Manipur. |
