Free cancer care alone won’t help India fight cancer

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Health

Context:

By 2040, according to one estimate, 20 lakh people a year will be diagnosed with cancer in India.

Details:

Cancer is already the third leading cause of death in India.
A June 2023 study reported that even among patients with PMJAY or other state-sponsored health insurance coverage, cancer treatment rendered catastrophic health expenses in more than 80% and impoverishment in more than 60% of people.
The financial burden increases by adding to the direct and/or indirect Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE).
- Direct medical OOPE includes doctor’s consultation fees, cost of medicines, and medical tests, and direct non-medical OOPE includes costs of transport, accommodation, and food for people travelling to larger cities for treatment. Indirect OOPE accounts for the loss of productive hours and/or income.

Government efforts to reduce the financial burden:

In 2012, the Haryana government made transport for patients with cancer and one caregiver in public buses from their places of residence to their places of treatment free.
In Kerala, patients with cancer are eligible for a 50% concession on public bus tickets.
In 2017, Delhi launched the Arogya Kosh scheme to reduce the burden on public health centres and avoid treatment delays. Here, residents of Delhi making less than Rs 3 lakh a year are eligible to get certain tests, like ultrasound and CT scans, in private health centres for free.
Haryana, Tripura, and Kerala have also floated a ‘cancer pension’ to financially assist patients with advanced-stage cancer: Rs 2,500 per month in Haryana and Rs 1,000 in Tripura and Kerala.

National Cancer Grid (NCG):

The National Cancer Grid (NCG) is an initiative of the Government of India through the Department of Atomic Energy and its grant-in-aid institution, the Tata Memorial Centre, to create a network of cancer centres, research institutes, patient groups and charitable institutions across India with the objective of developing uniform standards of patient care for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer; providing specialized training and education in oncology and facilitating collaborative basic, translational and clinical research in cancer.

National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP):

For a database of cancer cases, the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) was initiated in 1982 by ICMR, which gives a picture of the magnitude and patterns of cancer.
There are two types of registries; Population Based Cancer Registry and Hospital Based Cancer Registries, which were started in January 1982.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES OF NCCP

Primary prevention of cancers by health education especially regarding hazards of tobacco consumption and the necessity of genital hygiene for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Secondary prevention i.e. early detection and diagnosis of cancers, for example, cancer of the cervix, breast and oro-pharyngeal cancer by screening methods and patients’ education on self-examination methods.
Strengthening of existing cancer treatment facilities, which are woefully inadequate.
Palliative care in the terminal stage of the cancer.

Other initiatives:

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) for up-to-the-district level activities.
Under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PM-JAY) is being implemented to reduce the financial burden for poor and vulnerable groups arising out of catastrophic hospital episodes and to provide access to quality health services.
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) launched a Pilot on Trade Margin Rationalisation for 42 anti-cancer drugs in February 2020 as a step towards making healthcare more affordable for suffering patients. This led to a reduction in the prices of drugs.