Centre Operationalises 524 Day Care Cancer Centres, Expands Cancer Care Access Through AIIMS & Ayushman Bharat
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The scheme currently covers cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties, including Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology, through empanelled public and private hospitals.
The Central government has recently announced the expansion of cancer care access through AIIMS & Ayushman Bharat.
The government made 524 Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) and 770 District Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Clinics operational across the country under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD).
The latest development was shared by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Commenting on the financial assistance by the Central Government, Jadhav stated that the Centre provides technical and financial support to States and Union Territories under the National Health Mission (NHM) to strengthen cancer care infrastructure, screening, diagnosis, referral and treatment.
According to the Ministry, 6,410 NCD Clinics at Community Health Centres (CHCs) have also been established under the programme, further expanding access to preventive and diagnostic healthcare services at the grassroots level.
Under Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), eligible beneficiary families are provided health coverage of INR 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to improve affordability of treatment.
The scheme currently covers cashless treatment for 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialities, including Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology, through empanelled public and private hospitals.
Additionally, States and Union Territories can customize the Health Benefit Packages to address local healthcare needs.
To reduce waiting periods for cancer diagnosis and treatment, population-based screening for common non-communicable diseases, including oral, breast and cervical cancers, is being undertaken under the National Health Mission (NHM) for individuals aged 30 years and above through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs by trained frontline health workers (ASHAs and ANMs).
This initiative is expected to facilitate early detection and timely referral, thereby reducing delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment.
Further, the government noted that the DCCCs are being established in District Hospitals under a hub-and-spoke model to decentralize cancer care and facilitate timely access to chemotherapy and other day-care oncology services.
In addition, Jadhav added that under the Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer Facilities Scheme, the Centre has approved 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres across the country.
Furthermore, the Tata Memorial Centre has established six hospitals in Varanasi, Visakhapatnam, New Chandigarh, Guwahati, Sangrur and Muzaffarpur, while cancer treatment services, including diagnostic, medical and surgical facilities, have been extended to all 22 new AIIMS, he stated.
The Minister also added that the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Jhajjar, and the second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, are equipped to provide advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities.
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