Need for a comprehensive National Cancer Care Policy with a dedicated funding outlay for high-burden cancers: EY Parthenon-FICCI Report

• Less than 30% of the districts in the country have comprehensive cancer centres in India
• A top-up cancer coverage increasing the benefit amount to 3x-4x of basic coverage should be considered
• Provide subsidies to promote use of telemedicine, AI and other digital tools

New Delhi, 12 November 2024: FICCI-EY Parthenon recently launched a compendium of recommendations titled ‘Road map for making Cancer care affordable and accessible in India’. The paper is a culmination of recommendations gathered from five regional roundtables organized over a year till September 2024, under the aegis of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India. Among these, there is a strong recommendation for the Government of India to roll out a Comprehensive National Cancer Care Policy/Program with a dedicated funding outlay for the top six high-burden cancers.

The compendium highlights that India faces a sizeable cancer incidence burden. As per estimates India’s reported cancer incidence in 2022 was at 19 to 20 lakhs, whereas the real incidence was 1.5 to 3 times higher than the reported cases. The growth rate for cancer incidence is expected to further intensify over the next five to six years with new cases estimated to reach less than 45 lakh. The cancer care infrastructure is not equally distributed among rural and urban areas, leading to a huge burden on tertiary care centres. Further, treatment cost for cancer care is financially prohibitive i.e. almost 3x that of other non-communicable diseases (NCD) and continues to increase. Despite this, India’s participation in global clinical trials is currently 4%, with 20% of the global disease burden.

Dr Harsh Mahajan, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee and Founder and Chairman, Mahajan Imaging Labs said, “With the aim to guide policy decision making on cancer control and care for the country, we organized these roundtables and discovered that while a lot of states have taken small steps towards cancer care enhancement and some have even piloted unique initiatives, there is still scope for broader measures aimed at proactive cancer prevention and treatments. This whitepaper is a blueprint of action for policymakers, healthcare providers, and the community at large to transform the cancer care paradigm in India.” he added.

Dr Raj Gore, Co-Lead of FICCI Task Force on Cancer Care & CEO, HCG, emphasized the urgent need to support women’s cancer care in India. "We must ensure every woman has equal access to quality healthcare and the ability to make informed decisions. This requires addressing key barriers such as low awareness, fear of screening, and financial limitations. Strengthening early detection and ensuring access to effective treatments are essential steps to improve outcomes and reduce the overall burden of cancer," he added.

Ms Srimayee Chakraborty, Partner, Healthcare Services, EY Parthenon India said, “The wider cancer care landscape in India is sub-optimal with challenges across stages from awareness and prevention to screening, detection and access to treatment. Enhancing cancer care infrastructure is critical for ensuring that both urban and rural India has access to high quality treatment. It's essential to equip healthcare facilities with the right technology and resources. Private-public partnerships can play a key role in driving the investment and innovation needed to make cancer care more efficient and accessible.”

Ms Malti Sachdev, Senior Vice President and Head-Varian (India and Territories), Siemens Healthcare added "Less than 15% of women in India undergo safe screenings for conditions like breast cancer, and only 1-2% of the population participates in regular screening, driven by fear and low awareness. This adds to the financial burden on the healthcare system. Countries like Korea and Japan cover 75-95% of cancer treatment costs and focus on value-based, outcome-driven healthcare. India should adopt similar measures, including compulsory screenings and integrating advanced therapies into insurance programs, to improve outcomes and reduce costs."

The compendium calls for policy prioritization for cancer care at the Ministry of Health. Cancer screening in India is currently grouped under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) program under the National Health Mission and focusses primarily on three types – Breast, Oral and Cervix. Under the current structure, cancer care is not getting its due policy focus and funding prioritization for key aspects in patient journey. Hence, it is recommended to roll out a Comprehensive National Cancer Care Policy/Program with funding outlay for top six high burden cancers. This policy should provide an umbrella cover for all stages and modalities of patient care, including diagnostics, medical, surgical, and radiation treatment.

Further, the Government schemes should be updated such that in addition to the basic coverage provided, topping up could be done for specific disease group like cancer after screening. A top-up cancer coverage increasing the benefit amount to 3x-4x of basic coverage (e.g., from INR 5 lacs to INR 15-20 lacs) will significantly increase access to innovative cancer treatments and improve patient outcomes.