Nadda stated in the Parliament that the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme has enabled more than 68 lakh cancer treatments worth over Rs 13,000 crore across the country.
NEW DELHI — Rural areas in the country have availed over 75 per cent cancer treatments under the government's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Union Health Minister JP Nadda has informed.
Nadda stated in the Parliament that the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme has enabled more than 68 lakh cancer treatments worth over Rs 13,000 crore across the country.
Of these, more than 4.5 lakh treatments worth over Rs 985 crore were undertaken for “targeted therapies” against cancer. About 76.32 per cent of beneficiaries were from rural areas.
The minister also mentioned about the recently rolled out nationwide screening drive for the management and prevention of non-communicable diseases, like diabetes, hypertension and cancers.
The nationwide campaign, valid till March 31, aims to achieve 100 per cent screening of people aged 30 years and above. It is being conducted across Ayushman Arogya Mandir facilities and other healthcare institutions under the NP-NCD framework.
The PMJAY scheme provides treatment for several cancers, including of breast, oral and cervical.
It also provides more than 200 packages with more than 500 procedures of medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology and palliative medicine.
Of these, 37 packages are related to targeted therapies such as chemotherapy for CA Breast, metastatic melanoma, chronic myeloid leukaemia, Burkitt’s Lymphoma, and lung cancer, the minister informed.
Those suffering from cancer and are below the poverty line can also avail of one-time financial assistance of up to Rs 15 lakh, provided under the Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF).
The minister said that the scheme provides for the sale of generic medicines at 50 per cent to 80 per cent price of branded medicines through Janaushadhi Stores and the 217 AMRIT Pharmacies.
A total of 289 oncology drugs are given at half the market price.
Nadda said that the government had in the budget announced it would set up 200-day care cancer centres at district hospitals in 2025-26.
Further, under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), 770 district NCD clinics, 233 cardiac care units, 372 district day care centres, and 6,410 NCD clinics at community health centres have been set up, he said.
In addition, 19 state cancer institutes and 20 tertiary cancer care centres have been set up in different parts of the country to provide advanced cancer care.
Cancer treatment facilities have been approved in all 22 new AIIMS with diagnostic, medical, and surgical facilities, he said.
Two such centres where advanced cancer treatment is provided are the National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar, Haryana, with 1,460 beds, and the second campus of Chittranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata, which has 460 beds.
There are 372 District Day Care Centres providing chemotherapy across the country.