14-Oct-2020: Dr. Harsh Vardhan launches second phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for underprivileged Thalassemic patients
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched the second phase of “Thalassemia Bal Sewa Yojna” for the underprivileged Thalassemic patients, virtually from Nirman Bhawan today.
Launched in 2017, this scheme is a Coal India CSR funded Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) program that aims to provide a one-time cure opportunity for Haemoglobinopathies like Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease for patients who have a matched family donor. The CSR initiative was targeted to provide financial assistance to a total of 200 patients by providing a package cost not exceeding Rs. 10 lakhs per HSCT.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan congratulated the doctors of SGPGI Lucknow, PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi, CMC Vellore, Tata Medical centre, Kolkata and Rajeev Gandhi Cancer Institute, Delhi for the successful transplantation of 135 children without charging any physician fee. He stated that “Data on the prevalence of silent carriers for various Haemoglobinopathies show that it is 2.9-4.6% for β-Thalassemia, while it can be as high as 40% for sickle cell anaemia especially among the tribal population. Haemoglobin variants like HBE in eastern India can be as common as 3-50% which calls for more attention to these diseases.” He also acknowledged CMC, Ludhiana and Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore who have agreed to provide this advanced care therapy from 2020.
Expressing gratitude to Coal India and their CSR team for providing such opportunity to the BPL patients suffering from haematological disorders and extending the support for another two years from 2020, Dr. Harsh Vardhan mentioned the issue of high Out-of-Pocket-Expenditure on health services in India, “People go bankrupt selling ancestral land and the last property paying for their treatment. It is precisely that pain that moved Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi ji to introduce the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana for targeted populace.” “We had met beneficiaries of the scheme while documenting them and they had tears of gratitude for this valuable support in midst of the gloom in their lives,” he added.
Expressing satisfaction that the scheme has been extended to cover Aplastic Anaemia patients for a total of 200 such patients from this year, he said, “Such cases can be prevented by counselling using the Ayushman Bharat –Health & Wellness Centres network. We have made Blood Transfusion facilities available in every district hospital while some districts also offer the facility in health centres at sub-district level.”
20-Mar-2020: Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana
The Ministry of Textiles is implementing converged Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana (MGBBY) for providing social security benefits like life, accidental & disability insurance coverage to handloom weavers/workers in the age group of 51-59 years across the country, who have already enrolled under the scheme on 31.5.2017. The annual premium of Rs.470/- is shared as under:
Government of India Rs.290/-
Weaver Rs.80/-
Implementing Agency Rs.100/-
Total Premium Rs.470/-
Benefits:
Natural Death Rs.60,000/-
Accidental Death Rs.1,50,000/-
Total Disability Rs.1,50,000/-
Partial Disability Rs.75,000/-
To provide the benefits to all handloom weavers/workers in an effective manner, the Government of India has organized Hasthkala Sahyog Shivirs in handloom clusters across the country in association with State Governments and LIC for creating awareness among the weavers for enrollment under the Scheme. The claim benefits are provided by LIC directly into the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The Ministry of Textiles also regularly organizes awareness programmes and camps through its Weavers’ Service Centres to facilitate enrolment of handloom weavers/workers under Government Flagship Insurance Schemes.
20-Mar-2020: Anti-Cancer Drive
As per National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the estimated number of mortality of cancer cases reported in the country during the last three years is given below:
|
Year |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
Estimated Mortality of cancer cases |
7,66,348 |
8,01,374 |
8,38,065 |
Public Health and Hospitals is a State subject. The Central Government however supplements the efforts of the State Governments. The objectives of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), being implemented by Central Government under the National Health Mission (NHM) for interventions upto the district level, includes awareness generation for cancer prevention, screening, early detection and referral to an appropriate level institution for treatment. For cancer, the focus is on three common cancers, namely breast, cervical and oral. A population level initiative for prevention, control and screening for common Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) i.e. diabetes, hypertension and common cancers viz. oral, breast and cervical cancer, has been rolled out in over 215 districts of the country, as a part of comprehensive primary healthcare. Screening of common NCDs including three common cancers i.e. oral, breast and cervical is also an integral part of service delivery under Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres. Population based screening helps in mass awareness generation about risk factors and early detection of NCDs including common cancers.
To tackle the challenge of NCDs, including cancers, 616 NCD Clinics at District level and 3,827 NCD Clinics at Community Health Centre level have been set up under NPCDCS. Under NHM, support is provided to States/UTs to provide free essential medicines and diagnostic services for primary and secondary health care needs.
To enhance the facilities for tertiary care of cancer, the Central Government is implementing Strengthening of Tertiary Care for Cancer Scheme, under which setting up of 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres have been approved. Further, Oncology is also one of the focus areas in case of new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). Setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar in Haryana and strengthening of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, are also steps in the same direction.
Cancer is diagnosed and treated at various levels in the health care system. In Government hospitals, treatment is either free or highly subsidized. Treatment of cancers is also available under Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Besides this, Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) Deendayal outlets have been opened at 203 Institutions/Hospitals with an objective to make available drugs and implants at discounted prices to the patients. Under the umbrella scheme of Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, financial assistance is provided to families living below threshold poverty line for their treatment, including treatment of cancer, in Government hospitals.
For undertaking IEC activities on NCDs including cancers, support is provided to States/UTs @ 50-70 lakh at the State level and @ Rs. 3 to 5 lakh per District. Awareness campaigns on common risk factors for NCDs, including cancer, and for promotion of healthy lifestyle are also carried out through print, electronic and social media. Camps for awareness generation and screening for common NCDs including common cancers are organized at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, during the India International Trade Fair each year. Special campaigns are organized on the occasion of National Cancer Awareness Day and World Cancer Day. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), Noida, has launched www.cancerindia.org with the theme “India Against Cancer”, a portal that provides information on the leading cancers in India with a major focus on awareness, prevention and treatment of these cancers.