New Delhi, February 14 (PIB): Cancer is diagnosed and treated at various levels at healthcare facilities. The treatment in Government Hospitals is either free or highly subsidized for the poor and needy. The Centre is focussed on strengthening Tertiary Cancer Care Centres Facilities Scheme in order to enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer. 19 State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCCs) have been approved under the said scheme.

 

There is also focus on Oncology in its various aspects in case of new AIIMS and many Institutions have been approved for upgradation under Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh are fully functional. Setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar (Haryana) and second campus of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata are also steps in this direction. All these enhance the capacity for treatment of cancer in the country.

The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS). Cancer is an integral part of NPCDCS.

Under NPCDCS, 707 District NCD Clinics, 268 District Day Care Centres, and 5,541 Community Health Centre NCD Clinics have been set up. The programme focusses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion & awareness generation for Cancer prevention, early diagnosis, management and referral to an appropriate level of healthcare facility for treatment of the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), including cancer.