Ghulam Nabi Azad : Five Year Plan allocation jumps 10 times

India will spend Rs 2,400 crore on cancer control during the 11th Five Year Plan, 10 times more than the allocation during the previous Plan period.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad made the announcement on Sunday at the inauguration of the Mobile Outreach Project at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital TMCH). The focus would be on community-based cancer control strategies, he said.

Apart from the budget for the National Cancer Control Programme, Azad also announced a unique scheme for patients living below the poverty line (BPL) under the Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund.

“The fund has been established by the government with seed money of Rs 100 crore and state governments are expected to contribute,” Azad said. “Up to Rs 1 lakh of a BPL patient’s treatment costs can be supported at any of our 27 regional cancer centres and 40 oncology wings in institutes under the National Cancer Control Programme, or at any public sector health facility.”

A policy is already in place under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi for BPL patients suffering from chronic diseases, but most states are unaware of it. It entails Central and state aid up to Rs 20 lakh for very serious cancer, kidney or liver patients. “Surprisingly 90 per cent of the funds are utilised by West Bengal but no other state has sought any so far,” Azad said.

He urged doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital to make use of the available funds by recommending patients badly in need of money for treatment.

... contd.