The Centre has started the survey to identify and review the infrastructure in all district hospitals to implement the setting up of daycare cancer centres in health facilities.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech announced the setting up of daycare cancer centres in health facilities over the next three years.
According to the Union Health Ministry, the expenditure for setting up these centres would be around Rs 3,200 crore, reported PTI.
FM Sitharaman said that 200 daycare cancer centres would be set up in 2025-2026.
While laying the foundation stone for the Shree Bagheshwar Medical Sciences and Research Institute at Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that the government is committed to opening cancer daycare centres in all districts of the country and making cancer drugs cheaper.
An official told PTI that the Centre has started conducting gap analysis and reviewing the infrastructure at the district hospitals for setting up such centres. The cancer load in these hospitals would also be assessed, he added.
The cancer daycare centres will have four to six beds and focus on providing chemotherapy services and conducting awareness programmes.
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda recently said that since the inception of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), approximately 68.43 lakh hospital admissions amounting to Rs 13,160.75 crore have been authorised for cancer-related packages.
Also, at 217 AMRIT pharmacies, 289 oncology drugs are given at discounted rates up to 50 per cent of the market rates. Under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, too anti-cancer and oncology medicines are given.
