Free cancer care alone won’t help India fight cancer | Explained Premium

Cancer is a growing problem in India, with 20 lakh people expected to be diagnosed annually by 2040. Despite the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana providing health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per family, cancer treatment still causes catastrophic health expenses and impoverishment. Delays in diagnosis and treatment, lack of access to care, and high costs of transport, accommodation, and food all contribute to the financial burden of cancer. Governments have taken steps to reduce the burden, but more needs to be done to make cancer care accessible and affordable.

By 2040, according to one estimate, 20 lakh people a year will be diagnosed with cancer in India. Cancer is already the fifth leading cause of death in India. In the coming years, it is expected to take over heart disease and infections as well. The Indian health system has tried adjusting to these changing health needs, but there is a particularly important issue.

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The money spent by a patient on an ailment is the highest for cancer. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) has offered some respite by providing health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per family per year.

But despite this support, people are financially destroyed by cancer and its treatment. A June 2023 study reported that even among patients with PMJAY or other state-sponsored health insurance coverage, cancer treatment rendered catastrophic health expenses in more than 80% and impoverishment in more than 60% of people.

(The author is currently assessing the duration and reasons for delay in oral-cancer diagnosis and treatment at a government cancer care hospital in Delhi. The anecdotes that follow are from this assessment.)

The government provides free cancer care. These devastating costs arise in the private sector.

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