Bhubaneswar: Ms Indrani Kaushal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India yesterday highlighted the critical challenges and the government’s concerted efforts to combat cancer. Addressing the ‘FICCI Roundtable for Eastern Region’, held under the aegis of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI, on the ‘Road Map for Making Cancer Care Affordable and Accessible in India’, Ms Kaushal said the government is seized of the enormity of the situation, citing the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study that has projected 15.33 lakh new cancer cases per year and a mortality rate of approximately 8 lakh per year. Odisha, she said, is among the top 12 states that have been contributing to the cancer incidence tally of the country.
Dr Susanta Swain Additional Director – Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), Government of Odisha, addressed critical gaps in the current cancer care framework and outlined the state’s approach to improving outcomes for cancer patients. He underscored the urgent need for broader diagnostic facilities, pointing out the stark statistics in Odisha, where annual cancer deaths are approximately 16,000, and the prevalence of cancer stands at over one lakh cases. “Our diagnostic capabilities need to be more broad-based. Currently, this is a significant gap in our healthcare system,” he stated. Dr Swain also highlighted the essential requirement for minimum cancer care facilities, including diagnostics, at district hospitals as well as the need for increasing oncologists in the region.
Mr Raj Gore, Co-lead, FICCI Task Force on Cancer Care and CEO, Healthcare Global Enterprises Limited (HCG) highlighted the acute shortage of comprehensive cancer care centres in India, with less than 30 per cent districts in India having access to such facilities. This gap significantly impacts the treatment accessibility as well as affordability for cancer patients due to increased out of pocket expense on account of additional travel and accommodation costs and loss of income for many. “Our task is cut out, and the magnitude of the problem is far greater than many realize,” stated Mr Gore, referring to the stark comparison that the death toll from cancer last year alone was 1.5 times more than that of COVID-19 patients till date.
The formation of the FICCI Task Force on Cancer Care represents a concerted effort to tackle these challenges head-on. “Our focus should not only be on raising awareness and prevention but also on ensuring better patient outcomes through timely and complete treatment of patients. This encompasses improving access to comprehensive cancer care centres and mitigating the additional financial burden on patients and their families,” added Mr Gore.
The FICCI Roundtable was attended by more than 40 stakeholders from multiple states, including senior clinicians and administrators, senior representatives of hospitals, medtech and pharma companies. It was supported by KIMS Hospital & Medical College, Bhubaneshwar, Varian as well as Pfizer, with EY as the Knowledge Partner. This was the third such Regional Roundtable organised by FICCI, earlier ones held in Gandhinagar and Bengaluru last year. The recommendations from each Roundtable are submitted to the Health Ministry for consideration.
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