Study: ₹33,000cr needed annually to cover cancer treatment under PMJAY
A new study shows Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY) needs ₹33,000 crore every year to fully cover cancer treatment, from diagnosis to surgery and follow-ups.
Right now, the scheme only gets about a quarter of that amount.
Scheme has approved over 6.8 million cancer treatments since 2018
Since 2018, AB-PMJAY has approved more than 6.8 million cancer treatments worth ₹13,000 crore.
It covers more than 200 types of cancer care and mainly helps people from rural or low-income backgrounds.
Recommendations for improving the scheme
FinCan recommends raising coverage limits, like a five-year family cap of ₹25 lakh and extra funds for severe cases.
The latest budget added daycare centers and made cancer drugs cheaper.
Early diagnosis could save money and help more people survive.
Early screening could save lives and costs
The study points out that adopting OECD-style early screening could save up to ₹5,000 crore each year, and potentially 30,000 lives.
All this highlights why boosting funding for cancer care is so important right now.