Free Treatment for Cancer Patients

New Delhi February 19, 2014: – At present, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) being implemented under NRHM for interventions upto the district level includes Cancer prevention, screening, early detection and referral to an appropriate level Institution for treatment.  The focus is on three sites namely breast, cervical and oral cancer.  

In addition, the Government has recently approved a scheme for enhancing the Tertiary Care Cancer facilities in the country under NPCDCS. Under the scheme for eligible institutions upto Rs. 45 crores per Tertiary Care Cancer Centre and upto Rs. 120 crores for State Cancer Institute is available to assist 20 State Cancer Institutes and 50 Tertiary Cancer Care Centres in different parts of the country. The Central and State share for the said amount will be in the ratio 75:25 and for North East and Hill States the share would be 90:10. In the 12^th  Five Year Plan, Rs. 6000 crores has been allocated under NPCDCS for interventions upto the district level under National Rural Health Mission and an allocation of Rs. 3200 crores for the tertiary care component.    Government of India also supports treatment of cancer through Central Government Hospitals / Institutions in different parts of the country. Financial assistance to patients is also provided under the Health Minister’s Discretionary Grant and Health Minister’s Cancer Fund under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. The treatment in Government institutions is either free or subsidized.

The estimated cases of cancer in the country are as follows:

This was stated by Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha today.