Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel has informed that The cost of treatment of Cancer depends on various factors including, inter alia, the stage of diagnosis, type and site of cancer, type of treatment etc. The treatment of Cancer in many of State and Centre Government institutions is free for BPL patients and subsidized for others. The Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments to prevent and control cancer and to provide affordable and accruable care.
Some of the steps taken by Central Government are as follows:
(i) The objectives of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) being implemented under National Health Mission (NHM) for interventions upto the district level includes awareness generation for Cancer prevention, screening, early detection and referral to an appropriate level institution for treatment. For Cancer, the focus is on three Cancer namely breast, cervical and oral.
(ii)Population based screening of common NCDs, hypertension and cancers (Oral, Breast and Cervical cancer) has also been initiated under National Health Mission (NHM). Key components of population based screening of NCDs include community based risk assessment, screening, referral, and follow up of all individuals of 30 years and above for common NCDs (hypertension, diabetes, oral cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer). The initiative will help in early diagnosis and will generate awareness on risk factors of NCDs.
(iii) To enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer, the Central Government is implementing Tertiary Care Cancer Centre Scheme to support the setting up of State Cancer Institutes (SCI) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCC) in different parts of the country.
(iv) Oncology in its various aspects has focus in case of new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY).
(v) Setting up of National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Jhajjar (Haryana) and 2nd campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata has been approved.
(vi) The Government is providing financial assistance to patients living below poverty line for life threatening diseases under the schemes such as Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF), State Illness Assistance Fund (SIAF) and Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant (HMDG).
(vii) Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) outlets have been opened at 107 Institutions/Hospitals with an objective to make available Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases drugs and implants at discounted prices to the patients. Jan Aushadhi stores are set up by Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide generic drugs at affordable prices.
(viii) The list of medicines specified in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) which are included in the First Schedule of Drug Pricing Control Order (DPCO), 2013 also contain drugs used for the treatment of Cancer for which ceiling prices have been fixed.