A new report titled “Road Map for Making Cancer Care Affordable and Accessible” by FICCI-EY Parthenon has highlighted the urgent need for a national policy on cancer care in India. Compiled from a series of roundtable discussions conducted over the past year in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the report emphasizes the critical need for increased funding and resources to combat the country’s rising cancer burden.

Currently, only 30% of districts in India have access to comprehensive cancer centers, leading to significant healthcare disparities. The report calls for a dedicated national policy that allocates funding for the six most common types of cancers in India. Official statistics showed nearly 2 million cancer cases in 2022, though the actual figures could be 1.5 to 3 times higher. Experts warn that new cases could reach 4.5 million within the next five to six years, further straining an already limited healthcare infrastructure.

Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Chair of the FICCI Health Services Committee and Founder and Chairman of Mahajan Imaging Labs, stated, “This whitepaper serves as a blueprint for action, guiding policymakers, healthcare providers, and the community to transform India’s cancer care paradigm through proactive prevention and treatment strategies.”

Highlighting the role of private-public partnerships, Srimayee Chakraborty, Partner at EY Parthenon India, noted, “These partnerships are essential for driving investment and innovation, making cancer care more efficient and accessible across the country.”

Malti Sachdev from Siemens Healthcare highlighted the low rate of cancer screenings among Indian women, with only 15% undergoing regular screenings for breast cancer due to fear and lack of awareness. She suggested that India could adopt models from countries like Korea and Japan, where government policies provide extensive financial coverage for cancer care and emphasize outcome-based healthcare.

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The report’s key recommendations include the establishment of a Comprehensive National Cancer Care Program, encompassing funding for all stages of cancer treatment, from diagnostics to surgical and radiation therapies. It also proposes enhancing existing government healthcare schemes with a top-up cancer coverage that would increase benefits by three to four times the current amount, potentially boosting access to advanced treatments and improving patient outcomes.

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