Lok Sabha Question No. 360 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-21
Subject: Financial Support to Cancer Patients
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: S. Gnanathiraviam, Vijayakumar (alias) Vijay Vasanth

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 360 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 st JULY, 2023

## FINANCIALSUPPORT TO CANCER PATIENTS

## 360. SHRI GNANATHIRAVIAM S.: SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR (ALIAS) VIJAY VASANTH:

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

- (a) whether it is a fact that 30 percent of the world's cancer patients are in India and 3 lakh people die annually due to cancer and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to provide financial support for cancer patients since the treatment is costly and unaffordable for poor and middle-class people;
- (c) the total number of cancer patients provided with financial support for their treatment during the last three years;
- (d) the details of the special schemes being implemented/proposed to be implemented by the Government for early detection of cancer; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes to introduce/facilitate full insurance coverage to cancer patients who require treatment for a long period and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (PROF. SATYA PAL SINGH BAGHEL)

(a): As per the Indian Council of Medical Research -National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMRNCRP), the estimated number of mortality due to cancer cases is 8.08 lakhs in India during 2022.

(b) to (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 Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), 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 NP-NCD. The programme focusses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion & awareness generation for Cancer prevention, early diagnosis, management and referral to an appropriate level of healthcare facility for treatment of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including Cancer. For activities upto district level and below, States are given financial assistance under NHM in the ratio of 60:40 (90:10 in case of NE and hilly States). The State/UT wise Programme Implementation Plan (PIP) approvals towards NP

-NCD under NHM during the FY 2020-21 to FY 2022-23 is given at Annexure 1. Under NP-NCD, 724 District NCD Clinics, 326 District Day Care Centres, and 6110 Community Health Center NCDClinics have been set up.

Apopulation-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.

Patients with Cancer are getting treatment at various health facilities in the health care delivery system including District Hospitals, Medical Colleges, Central Institutes like AIIMS and private sector hospitals.

Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary or tertiary care hospitalization to over 60 Crores beneficiaries is provided. The treatment packages under AB-PMJAY are very comprehensive covering various treatment related aspects such as drugs and diagnostic services.

Financial assistance is provided to poor patients belonging to families living below poverty line, suffering from major life-threatening diseases including cancer 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.

The number of beneficiaries and funds utilized under the Health Minister ' s Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF) component of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) since 2019-20 are as under:

| Year    |   Funds utilized (Rs. In lakh) |   Number of beneficiaries |
|---------|--------------------------------|---------------------------|
| 2019-20 |                        2677.08 |                       470 |
| 2020-21 |                        1573    |                       196 |
| 2021-22 |                         743.44 |                        89 |
| 2022-23 |                         430.82 |                        63 |

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.

## Annexure 1

State/UT wise details of SPIP Approvals for National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) under NHM during the period of F.Y. 2020-21 to 2022-23

|       |                          |         | (Rs. In lakhs)   | (Rs. In lakhs)   |
|-------|--------------------------|---------|------------------|------------------|
| S.No. | State/UT                 | 2020-21 | 2021-22          | 2022-23          |
| 1     | Andaman &Nicobar Islands | 13.89   | 56.96            | 52.46            |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh           | 1616.18 | 4672.54          | 6078.76          |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh        | 381.58  | 146.45           | 622.95           |
| 4     | Assam                    | 568.87  | 1258.57          | 1306.81          |
| 5     | Bihar                    | 1977.74 | 956.30           | 8298.99          |
| 6     | Chandigarh               | 1.30    | 12.84            | 4.15             |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh             | 433.45  | 1619.06          | 3506.32          |
| 8     | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      | 14.18   | 7.05             | 57.55            |
| 9     | Daman &Diu               |         |                  |                  |
| 10    | Delhi                    | 128.10  | 191.15           | 164.70           |
| 11    | Goa                      | 50.53   | 168.97           | 153.05           |
| 12    | Gujarat                  | 709.39  | 2076.80          | 4071.68          |
| 13    | Haryana                  | 226.42  | 476.86           | 533.41           |
| 14    | Himachal Pradesh         | 45.00   | 286.28           | 1361.00          |
| 15    | Jammu &Kashmir           | 1253.80 | 805.68           | 792.00           |
| 16    | Jharkhand                | 535.24  | 2620.26          | 1955.15          |
| 17    | Karnataka                | 675.94  | 4097.12          | 4409.74          |
| 18    | Kerala                   | 1092.82 | 4250.92          | 7662.02          |
| 19    | Ladakh                   | 0.00    | 104.45           | 273.36           |
| 20    | Lakshadweep              | 15.55   | 24.72            | 21.21            |
| 21    | Madhya Pradesh           | 937.98  | 1402.09          | 4753.73          |
| 22    | Maharashtra              | 747.47  | 976.63           | 5311.21          |
| 23    | Manipur                  | 293.66  | 623.31           | 722.21           |
| 24    | Meghalaya                | 46.55   | 416.03           | 407.60           |
| 25    | Mizoram                  | 58.88   | 332.26           | 176.24           |
| 26    | Nagaland                 | 137.10  | 305.43           | 312.26           |
| 27    | Odisha                   | 881.79  | 2158.89          | 7442.69          |
| 28    | Puducherry               | 23.72   | 126.82           | 113.10           |
| 29    | Punjab                   | 169.79  | 705.42           | 1405.93          |
| 30    | Rajasthan                | 1227.09 | 4603.49          | 23542.92         |
| 31    | Sikkim                   | 53.06   | 156.78           | 117.04           |
| 32    | Tamil Nadu               | 798.77  | 4004.70          | 8466.91          |
| 33    | Telangana                | 490.70  | 3139.44          | 5272.72          |
| 35    | Uttar                    |         | 13196.18         |                  |
| 36    | Pradesh                  | 6654.70 |                  | 13607.82         |
|       | Uttarakhand              | 144.80  | 597.75           | 1127.33          |
| 37    | West Bengal              | 1399.34 | 3697.33          | 3868.71          |