Mail News Service
New Delhi, Aug 28: Based on the estimates of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), it is estimated that there are about 28 lakh cancer patients at any point of time (prevalence) in the country. A total of 5.41 lakh AIDS patients were provided free anti-retroviral treatment at 355 Anti Retroviral Treatment centres across the country as on 31st May 2012 under the National AIDS Control Programme by National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).
Government of India had launched a comprehensive National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) in 100 districts across 21 States during 2010-2012 of the 11th Five Year Plan. The district hospitals have been funded to provide chemotherapy drugs required for cancer patients to treat 100 patients per district @ Rs. 1.00 lakh per patient.
The programme also envisages strengthening Government Medical College Hospitals and erstwhile Regional Cancer Centres (RCC) across the country as Tertiary Cancer Centre (TCC) for providing comprehensive Cancer care services. These institutions are eligible for financial assistance upto Rs. 6.00 crore (Rs. 4.80 crore from Central Government and Rs. 1.20 crore from State Government). In the Government health care delivery system, the treatment of diseases is either free or subsidized for the poor and needy patients.
Financial assistance is also provided to the patients who are living below the poverty line and suffering from major life threatening diseases including Cancer and AIDS from the ‘Health Minister’s Discretionary Grants (HMDG)’ and ‘Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN)’.
The above information was given by the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/free-treatment-for-cancer-and-aids-patients/
