Free cancer care alone won’t help India fight cancer | Explained
The HinduBy 2040, according to one estimate, 20 lakh people a year will be diagnosed with cancer in India. Since cancer care is concentrated in major cities, most people from rural India, where 60-70% of the country’s population lives, have to leave home and travel hundreds of kilometres to seek care. “Since my husband was diagnosed with cancer, we have borrowed nearly three lakh rupees.” According to a 2021 study, the amount spent on accommodation, food, and travel by patients seeking care in JIPMER Puducherry was nearly 15-times the amount spent directly on medical care. Even though the Indian Railways and Air India provide concessions on travel tickets for cancer patients, according to the author’s ongoing study, expenses for local transport contribute significantly as well. “The bus ticket costs Rs 100 one way for the two of us to travel,” said one woman whose husband was receiving chemotherapy for oral cancer in a government hospital in Delhi.
History of this topic
India Sees Rise in Cancer Cases Among Adults, Reveals Helpline Data
Deccan Chronicle
As cancer cases rise, how can India improve access to care?
India Today
A case for cancer care
New Indian Express
Cancer cases in India projected to rise from 14.6 lakh in 2022 to 15.7 lakh in 2025: Govt.
The Hindu
Equipped with 300 Beds, Medical Oncology, New Cancer Hospital to be Inaugurated by PM in Punjab Tomorrow
News 18
Bridging the gap in cancer care
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