At a time when cancer cases are surging across India, hundreds of cancer specialists have been removed from the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY empanelled list in several states. This disqualification comes as the nation grapples with an estimated 1.5 million new cancer cases reported annually.
As of 2018, there was only one medical oncologist per million in India compared with 161 per 1 million in the US.
This move is going to directly impact the patients, especially those with reduced access to healthcare. Many of these excluded doctors practice in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Their removal forces patients to travel to already overcrowded state capitals or metro cities for treatment.
Furthermore, this policy risks severe overcrowding in government hospitals. Given the aggressive nature of the disease, any delay caused by long waiting lists could result in the loss of invaluable treatment time for patients.
Why was this move taken?
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Hundreds of fellowship-trained oncologists in the private sector have been excluded from the PMJAY empanelled list, following a new mandate requiring super-speciality degrees recognised by the National Medical Commission (NMC). Despite their extensive clinical experience and training at premier institutes, these specialists are being disqualified for lacking formal DM (Doctorate of Medicine), MCh (Magister Chirurgiae), or DrNB (Doctorate of National Board) titles.
Doctors have slammed the move, pointing out that fellowships were the only entry point into oncology before the advent of formal university degrees. These rigorous programs—often lasting three years at specialised cancer hospitals—continue to be more prestigious than many academic courses, providing essential expertise in Haemato-oncology and other critical surgical sub-specialities now excluded by the PMJAY.
Some doctors said that their names have been removed from the HEM 2.0 portal used by the National Health Authority (NHA) to manage PMJAY, reported Times of India (TOI).
A significant number of the de-listed oncologists are medical directors and surgeons with decades of clinical experience. Despite their roles as institutional leaders and educators, their lack of a formal NMC-recognised degree has stripped them of their eligibility to treat PMJAY patients, effectively sidelining the most experienced hands in the field."
The current crisis stems from multiple factors, most notably the conflicting interpretations of NHA and NMC regulations by state health authorities. The root of the problem dates back to before 2018, when the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) launched efforts to expand the pool of oncology teachers across the country.