Staff reporter
Guwahati: The Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia demands Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure free treatment or financial assistance for cancer patients in the state, especially for the underprivileged, along with measures to make such services easily accessible.
In a letter addressed to CM, Saikia highlighted that cancer has deeply affected countless families in Assam, with the state’s cancer incidence rate surpassing the national average. Annually, about 50,000 new cancer cases are detected in Assam, of which 70% are diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to high treatment costs. Many patients and their families are forced to exhaust their savings, take loans, or even sell property to bear the expenses.
In 2018, the Assam Government signed an MoU with the Tata Trusts to establish 17 cancer care hospitals across the state under the Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF). However, only seven of these have been completed so far, and among them, only Barpeta and Dibrugarh have facilities for PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans—crucial for early cancer detection.
Due to this limitation, many patients still depend on private hospitals, where costs are high, and government aid is often unavailable. The letter notes that currently, state support is restricted to government medical colleges and ACCF-managed hospitals, adversely impacting poor patients seeking treatment elsewhere.
Saikia made proposals to the CM, which includes providing free treatment or subsidized care for BPL (Below Poverty Line) and low-income cancer patients. Integrating existing health schemes such as the Assam Arogya Nidhi, Atal Amrit Abhiyan, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana into a single cashless system.
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