Data | India’s Cancer Crisis: Rising Prevalence of the Most Expensive Disease to Treat Premium

Most of the expense for the treatment of cancer, which is among the costliest diseases to treat, is borne by the patients

On March 14, the Minister of State for Health said cancer cases in India will cross the 15 lakh mark by 2025. A research paper published by the Indian Council of Medical Research in December last year estimated that cancer cases are likely to increase from 14.6 lakh in 2022 to 15.7 lakh in 2025 in India. In the last decade, cancer cases have risen from around 10 lakh in 2012 to 14.6 lakh in 2022 (Chart 1).

Chart 1

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While increasing disease burden is a concern, the economic burden is equally a worry given that cancer treatment is among the most expensive compared to other diseases. A Parliamentary Standing Committee report on cancer, released in September 2022, expressed concern about the “inaccessible and increasing cost of cancer treatment.” For instance, according to the National Sample Survey (NSS) 2017-18 report, the average medical expenditure per hospitalisation case for cancer treatment was Rs. 68,259 in urban areas (Chart 2). The average expenditure for cardiovascular disease, the second-most expensive disease on the list, was Rs. 47,788. The Committee said that while anti-cancer medicine costs can be regulated, the cost of treatment also depends on other expenditures such as radiotherapy. Radiotherapy machines are not manufactured in India and are therefore expensive. It said that the cost of radiotherapy cannot be regulated as it has not been declared an essential service.

Chart 2

Notably, a significant share of medical costs is incurred by patients in India due to relatively poor insurance penetration. According to the NSS 2017-18 report, more than 80% of hospital bills are paid out of pocket. Chart 3 shows the average medical expenditure and average out-of-pocket expenditure per hospitalisation case as per the NSS report.

Chart 3