Image Credit: Twitter/ Basavaraj Bommai
CM Bommai said that the government is mulling over setting up a society to provide medicines for cancer treatment at concessional rates. He also announced that a new cancer centre will soon be established in Hubballi and Dharwad.
Karnataka’s Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday, August 23, that the government is mulling over setting up a society to provide medicines for cancer treatment at concessional rates.
The CM was speaking at the inauguration event for the OPD block built by Infosys Foundation at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru. He said that corporate social responsibility (CSR) and government funds will be used to provide facilities to the family members who are attending to the patient. The CM added that priority would be given to innovation in treating cancer.
The CM announced that a new cancer centre will soon be established in Hubballi and Dharwad. He also said that action would be taken to set up regional cancer centres as well.
Cancer Burden Increasing In India
The cancer burden in India has spiked rapidly over the past two and a half decades and this trend is expected to continue. The number of cancer cases may The number of cancer cases in India may increase to 15.7 lakh by 2025, according to a report by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The cancer incidence (new cases) in men is estimated to be 763,575 in 2025 and 806,218 among women in 2025.
Cancer care in India is costly. The National Sample Survey (NSS) 75th round conducted during July 2017–June 2018 has revealed alarming statistics associated with cancer care in India.
The average total cancer care expenditure at the national level was around ₹ 1,16,218. Meanwhile, in private hospitals, the total cost for the same was estimated to be ₹ 1,41,774. In public hospitals, it was comparatively lower at ₹ 72,092.
Among all states, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Haryana, the overall cost of cancer treatment was under ₹ 1 lakh. In states like Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, cancer patients spent between ₹ 1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh. In states like Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand, the cost was over ₹ 1.5 lakh.
Article Credit: thelogicalindian