The National Health Authority (NHA) is planning to include all types of cancer treatment in their healthcare packages. Presently, officials feel the healthcare packages for cancer treatment are not very all-inclusive.

A patient has to undergo various types of medical procedures for the cancer treatment which include chemotherapy, surgery and radiations. Hence, the NHA is planning to include all kinds of regimes for chemotherapy for various kinds of cancer.

A senior official at the NHA told ANI that there are few missing links in the treatment of cancer and it not very comprehensive. Hence, they have recommended additional strengthening of the medical packages for cancer. These packages has to be approved by the governing body and the whole process is likely to take three months.

Approving the development, DrInduBhushan, CEO, National Health Authority said that treatment for cancer is very expensive and they want to include treatment for all type of cancer in health packages which are cost-effective, proven and beneficial to the patients.

Dr Abhishek Sankar, Professor of Oncology at AIIMS, said every year about 15 lakh new patients are diagnosed with cancer. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer with 1 lakh 20 thousand patients detected every year, followed by breast cancer which affects about 1.5 lakh patients, 2 lakh 76 thousand lip and oral cancer cases every year. Nearly 44-45 lakh patients suffer from cancer at a specific time.

NHA is an implementing body of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PM-JAY) health insurance scheme. Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, a National Health Protection Scheme, will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) and will also provide coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

Up to now, 16000 hospitals have been empanelled and nearly 34 lakh beneficiaries have been admitted whereas nine crore e-cards have been already issued.