The Rice Bowl of India, Andhra Pradesh, is all set to launch the country’s 1st comprehensive cancer screening program aimed at women aged 30 and older. With key focus on early detection of breast, cervical, and oral cancers, this initiative is driven to tackle to escalating costs related to the cancer. Notably, breast, cervical, and oral cancers all together comprise 40% of cancer cases among women.
India’s 1st Cancer Screening Program
Over the past five years, cancer-related expenses have surged from 12.8% to 18.2% of total health spending, with significant increases in medical oncology (423%), radiation oncology (213%), and surgical oncology (73%).
Known to be notoriously costly, the cancer treatment studies show that 34% to 84% of patients face catastrophic expenses.
As per the World Health Organization, “catastrophic health spending” is that out-of-pocket costs that exceed 40% of a household’s ability to pay for health care. India’s National Health Policy 2017 considers spending over 10% of monthly consumption or 40% of non-food expenditure as catastrophic.
Now, one would think that how are catastrophic health spending and the cancer screening program related?
Early Cancer Detection Facilitated by Program to Reduce Overall Treatment Costs
The answer lies in early detection! If a cancer is detected early, then it is expected to reduce the long-term treatment costs by up to a third, as seen in studies from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Visakhapatnam.
Once the treatment starts at early stage, the treatment is less intensive as well as more cost effective which reduces the overall mortality rates and the one that allows the survivors to contribute positively to the society.
The state’s focus on early diagnosis is anticipated to alleviate the financial strain on the healthcare system over time.
On the contrary, the shift towards a screening program raises concerns about increasing immediate treatment costs and the need for expanded cancer care infrastructure. Andhra Pradesh is enhancing its medical resources and establishing comprehensive cancer care facilities across the state to support the new screening initiative.
