Government is planning to set up state cancer institutes each costing Rs 100 crore, according to Anupriya Patel, MoS, Health & Family Welfare, who was speaking at an Assocham event held in New Delhi on Thursday.
Recently, the government has approved a scheme for enhancing the tertiary care cancer facilities in the country under NPCDCS (National Programme For Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke) to grant financial assistance to 20 state cancer institutes and 50 tertiary cancer care centres in different parts of the country.
“Between 30-50 percent of cancers can currently be prevented. This can be accomplished by avoiding risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if diagnosed early and treated adequately. So, the key to survival is prevention, early detection, and proper cure which are possible only with proper awareness among people. Not only the government, but also private players and NGOs have a great role in creating awareness on the preventive care and symptoms of these diseases. Cancer burden can thus be reduced through early detection and management,” said Anupriya Patel.
She added, “Determining the goals of treatment and palliative care is an important first step, and health services should be integrated and people-centred. The primary goal is generally to cure cancer or to considerably prolong life. Improving the patient's quality of life is also an important goal. This can be achieved by supportive or palliative care and psycho-social support.”
Awareness for prevention of cancer and early detection of cancer is being carried out at all levels through NCD clinics at districts & CHC levels. However, higher level facilities for surgery, chemotherapy & supportive care are available only at district hospitals, said Patel. There are about 388 district NCD clinics and 2115 CHC NCD clinics functional in the country as on March 2017.
“India is a signatory to the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development and is committed to achieve the SDGs including SDG-3 to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’. The new National Health Policy, 2017, which got approval by the union cabinet recently, envisages to attain the highest possible level of good health and well-being, through a preventive and promotive health care orientation in all developmental policies, and universal access to good quality health care services without anyone having to face financial hardship. This would be achieved through increasing access, improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare delivery,” said the Minister.
The policy, while supporting the need for moving in the direction of a right based approach to healthcare is conscious of the fact that threshold levels of finances and infrastructure is a precondition for an enabling environment, to ensure that the poorest of the poor stand to gain the maximum and are not embroiled in legalities. “The policy, therefore, advocates a progressively incremental assurance based approach, with assured funding to create an enabling environment for realising health care as a right in the future,” stated Anupriya Patel.
She added, “Currently, women in India, like in other South East Asian countries, face numerous health issues, which ultimately affect their aggregate economic output. We all know that women are pivotal contributors to society in their roles as mothers, sisters, family members, and as socially responsible citizens. Addressing the gender, class or ethnic disparities that exist in healthcare and improving the health outcome, can contribute to women empowerment and socio-economic gain.”
