Question : Cancer Patient Fund

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has set up Cancer Patient Fund to provide financial assistance to Below Poverty Line (BPL) cancer patients for their treatment, and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of patients applied for assistance thereunder and those benefited indicating amount granted to them during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;

(c) whether the Government proposes to extend the relief under the said fund to the poor needy patients not belonging to BPL families;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to notify cancer for collecting exact data about cancer patients, and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

(a): Yes, Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF) has been established within RAN which has a separate Corpus Fund. An amount of Rs. 100.00 crore has been placed in the Corpus Fund and the earnings from the Corpus Fund accruing out of interest are utilized for providing financial assistance to cancer patients, through 27 Regional Cancer Centres (RCC) located all over India. Revolving Funds have been set up in these RCCs by placing an amount upto Rs. 50 lakh for providing financial assistance for treatment upto Rs. 2 lakh in individual cases. Cases involving expenditure over and above Rs. 2 lakh, are referred to this Ministry.
(b): The details of funds released to 27 Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs) State/UT wise from HMCPF for last three years and current year is at Annexure.
(c) & (d): No, presently financial assistance under HMCPF is extended to patients living below poverty line as fixed by the erstwhile Planning Commission, so as to provide assistance to the more vulnerable sections of the population.
(e) The National Cancer Registry Programme of Indian Council of Medical Research aims at generating reliable data on magnitude and patterns of cancer.