Lok Sabha Question No. 2834 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Assistance to Cancer Patients
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Devendrappa Y, Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar, Devji Mansingram Patel, Saikia Dilip

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2834 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 th  MARCH, 2023

## ASSISTANCE TO CANCER PATIENTS

## 2834.   SHRI Y. DEVENDRAPPA:

SHRI RANJEETSINGH NAIK

NIMBALKAR:

SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

SHRI DILIP SAIKIA:

Will the MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that twenty percent of the world's cancer patients are in India and 75,000 people die annually from cancer;
- (b) whether the cancer inflicts physical pain as well as deteriorate the financial condition of the patient's family due to costly treatment and many families are pushed below poverty line;
- (c) the total number of families that have been pushed below the poverty line due to costly treatment during the last three years;
- (d) the details of the special schemes being implemented/proposed by the Government for the prevention of cancer disease; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes to introduce/ facilitate insurance cover to cancer patients and if so, the details thereof?

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

- (a):  As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) National Cancer  Registry Programme, the estimated incidence of cancer cases is 14.61 lakhs and mortality is 8.08 lakhs in 2022.
- (b) and (c): This data is not maintained centrally.
- (d) and (e): The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), as part of National Health Mission (NHM), based on the proposals received from the States/UTs and subject to the resource envelope. Cancer is an integral  part  of  NPCDCS. The programme focusses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion & awareness generation for prevention, early diagnosis, management and  referral  to  an  appropriate  level  of  healthcare  facility  for  treatment  of  the  Non-Communicable

Diseases (NCDs), including Cancer. Under NPCDCS, 708 District NCD Clinics, 301 District Day Care Centres, and 5671 Community Health Center NCD Clinics have been set up.

A population-based initiative for prevention, control and screening for common NCDs i.e. diabetes, hypertension and common cancers has been rolled out in the country under NHM and also as a part of Comprehensive Primary Health Care. Under the initiative, persons more than 30 years of age are targeted for their screening for the three common cancers i.e oral, breast and cervical. Screening of these common cancers is an integral part of service delivery under Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres. Preventive  aspect  of  Cancer  is  strengthened  under  Comprehensive  Primary  Health  Care  through Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centre scheme, by promotion of wellness activities and targeted communication at the community level.

Cancer  is  diagnosed  and  treated  at  various  levels  in  the  health  care  facilities.  The  treatment  in Government  Hospitals  is  either  free  or  highly  subsidized  for  the  poor  and  needy.  The  Central Government implements Strengthening of Tertiary Cancer Care Centres Facilities Scheme in order to enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer. 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer  Centres  (TCCCs)  have  been  approved  under  the  said  scheme.  The  details  are  attached  at Annexure 1.

There  is  also  focus  on  Oncology  in  its  various  aspects  in  case  of  new  AIIMS  and  many  upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). Setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar (Haryana) and second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata are also steps in this direction. All these enhance the capacity for treatment of cancer in the country.

Treatment of Cancers is also available under Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).  Besides,  quality  generic  medicines  are  made  available  at  affordable  prices  to  all,  under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in collaboration with the State Governments. Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Pharmacy stores have been set up in some hospitals/institutions, with an objective to make available Cancer drugs at a substantial discount vis-à-vis  the  Maximum  Retail  Price.  Financial  assistance  is  provided  to  poor  patients  belonging  to families  living  below  poverty  line,  suffering  from  major  life-threatening  diseases  under  Umbrella scheme  of  Rashtriya  Arogya  Nidhi  (RAN)  and  Health  Minister's  Discretionary  Grant  (HMDG). Financial assistance upto a maximum of Rs. 1,25,000/- is provided under HMDG to defray a part of the treatment cost and the maximum financial assistance provided under the Umbrella Scheme of RAN is Rs. 15 lakhs.

## Table of SCIs/TCCCs:

|   S No | State            | Name of the Institute                                                 | SCI / TCCC   |
|--------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|
|      1 | Andhra Pradesh   | Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool                                      | SCI          |
|      2 | Assam            | Gauhati Medical College &Hospital, Guwahati                           | SCI          |
|      3 | Bihar            | Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna                    | SCI          |
|      4 | Chhattisgarh     | Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur                  | SCI          |
|      5 | Delhi            | Lok Nayak Hospital                                                    | TCCC         |
|      6 | Gujarat          | Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, Ahmedabad                          | SCI          |
|      7 | Goa              | Goa Medical College, Panaji                                           | TCCC         |
|      8 | Haryana          | Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt                                          | TCCC         |
|      9 | Himachal Pradesh | Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla                                 | TCCC         |
|     10 | Himachal Pradesh | Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, Mandi                       | TCCC         |
|     11 | Jammu&           | Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar                | SCI          |
|     12 | Kashmir          | Government Medical College, Jammu                                     | SCI          |
|     13 | Jharkhand        | Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi                        | SCI          |
|     14 | Karnataka        | Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (RCC), Bengaluru                | SCI          |
|     15 |                  | Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya                          | TCCC         |
|     16 | Kerala           | Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram                            | SCI          |
|     17 |                  | Government Medical College, Kozhikode                                 | TCCC         |
|     18 | Madhya Pradesh   | G.R. Medical College, Gwalior                                         | TCCC         |
|     19 |                  | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur                  | SCI          |
|     20 | Maharashtra      | Rashtrasant Tukdoji Regional Cancer Hospital &Research Centre, Nagpur | TCCC         |
|     21 |                  | Government Medical College, Aurangabad                                | SCI          |
|     22 |                  | Vivekanand Foundation &Research Centre, Latur                         | TCCC         |
|     23 | Mizoram          | Mizoram State Cancer Institute, Aizawl                                | TCCC         |
|     24 | Nagaland         | District Hospital, Kohima                                             | TCCC         |
|     25 | Odisha           | Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre, Cuttack                       | SCI          |
|     26 | Punjab           | Government Medical College, Amritsar                                  | SCI          |
|     27 |                  | Civil Hospital, Fazilka                                               | TCCC         |
|     28 | Rajasthan        | S P Medical College, Bikaner                                          | TCCC         |
|     29 |                  | SMS Medical College, Jaipur                                           | SCI          |
|     30 |                  | Jhalawar Medical College &Hospital, Jhalawar                          | TCCC         |
|     31 | Sikkim           | Multispecialty Hospital at Sochygang (Sichey), near Gangtok, Sikkim   | TCCC         |
|     32 | Tamil Nadu       | Cancer Institute (RCC), Adyar, Chennai                                | SCI          |
|     33 | Telangana        | MNJ Institute of Oncology &RCC, Hyderabad                             | SCI          |
|     34 | Tripura          | Cancer Hospital (RCC), Agartala                                       | SCI          |
|     35 | Uttar Pradesh    | Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow     | TCCC         |
|     36 | Uttarakhand      | Government Medical College, Haldwani                                  | SCI          |
|     37 | West Bengal      | Government Medical College, Burdwan                                   | TCCC         |
|     38 |                  | Murshidabad Medical College &Hospital, Berhampore, Murshidabad        | TCCC         |
|     39 |                  | Sagore Dutta Memorial Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata           | TCCC         |