Context

Cancer treatments will soon be covered under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)

About

Facts related to Cancer in India

• According to the World Health Organisation, the rate of mortality due to cancer in India is high, with cancer the second most common disease in India with about 3 million deaths per year.
• In India, the risk of developing cancer before the age of 75 years for males stands at 9.81% and females at 9.42%.
• Total deaths due to cancer in 2018 were around 8 lakhs.
• Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in India, followed by breast cancer and oral cancers.
• Since cancer treatment causes massive financial crisis among the people, so the government is likely to include all types of cancers and their treatment under its healthcare packages.

Cancer

• Cancer refers to the abnormal growth of cell tissue.
• These cells may form a mass called a tumor.
• A tumor can be cancerous or benign.
• A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body.
• A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread.
• The three main treatments for cancer are:
  • Surgery: directly removing the tumor
  • Chemotherapy: using chemicals to kill cancer cells
  • Radiation therapy: using X-rays to kill cancer cells

Ayushman Bharat Yojana

• Ayushman Bharat or “Healthy India” is a national initiative launched to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• It adopts a continuum of care approach, comprising of two inter-related components, which are:
  • Establishment of Health and Wellness Centres
  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

• It will provide financial protection to 10.74 crore poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational categories of urban workers’ families as per the latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data (approx. 50 crore beneficiaries).
• It will have offer a benefit cover of Rs. 500,000 per family per year (on a family floater basis).
• It will cover medical and hospitalization expenses for almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures. PM-JAY has defined 1,350 medical packages covering surgery, medical and day care treatments including medicines, diagnostics and transport.
• Performance – Till July 2019, 16,000 hospitals have been empanelled, nearly 34 lakh beneficiaries have been admitted, and 9 crore e-cards have been issued.