Lok Sabha Question No. 1718 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-16
Subject: Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: P. Velusamy, Malook Nagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1718 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2022

## HEALTH MINISTER'S CANCER PATIENT FUND

## 1718.   SHRI VELUSAMY P.: SHRI MALOOK NAGAR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry is  providing  financial  assistance  to  the  poor  patients  suffering  from cancer  belonging  to  the  Below  Poverty  Line  (BPL)  category  under  the  Health  Minister's Cancer Patient Fund;
- (b) if so, the number of patients benefitted along with the amount disbursed during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise and in Bijnor Parliamentary Constituency;
- (c) the  details  regarding  the  number  of  applications  pending  under  Health  Minister's  Cancer Patient Fund, State/UT-wise including Tamil Nadu along with the reasons therefor; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes to increase the amount upto rupees fifteen lakhs and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a)  to  (d):  The  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  provides  one-time  financial  assistance upto Rs. 15 lakh for treatment of poor patients living below threshold poverty line and suffering from cancer through Health Minister's Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF) which is a component of Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN). The financial assistance is provided for their treatment at Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs)/Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCC), State Cancer  Institutes  (SCI)  and  other  Government  hospitals/Institutes  having  cancer  treatment facilities.

Financial assistance for eligible patients is released to treating hospitals/Institutes. There is no State/UT-wise allocation of funds under RAN scheme. Therefore, State- wise/District-wise data is  not  maintained.  However,  the  number  of  beneficiaries  benefitted  under  HMCPF  under Umbrella Scheme of RAN during the last three years and current year are as under:

| Financial Year             |   Funds Utilized (Rs. in lakh) |   Number of beneficiaries |
|----------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|
| 2019-20                    |                        2677.08 |                       470 |
| 2020-21                    |                        1573    |                       196 |
| 2021-22                    |                         585.05 |                        64 |
| 2022-23 (As on 12.12.2022) |                         216.98 |                        40 |

Note: Powers were delegated to the hospitals with revolving fund for providing treatment upto Rs.5  lakh  per  case  under  the  Scheme.    The  data  of  such  beneficiary  are  not  maintained centrally.

The process of cases under HMCPF involves various stages of action i.e. scrutiny of application, placing the matter before Technical Committee, administrative and financial approvals etc. All 7 applications which were received recently in the Ministry have also been processed.

Under HMCPF component of umbrella scheme of RAN, financial assistance upto Rs. 15 lakh is already provisioned.

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