Govt Moves to Ensure Cancer Patients Get Free or Affordable Treatment

In a series of recent initiatives, the Indian government and several state governments have announced major steps aimed at making cancer treatment free or significantly more affordable, especially for low-income and underprivileged patients.

Key Measures Taken

1. Customs Duty & GST Relief on Critical Drugs
   The 2025-26 Union Budget has exempted 36 life-saving drugs from basic customs duty and made six more eligible for concessional duty of 5%. These include medicines used in cancer and rare disease treatments.
   Additionally, the GST Council has reduced or slashed GST on life-saving drugs, including some for cancer and rare diseases, bringing the tax on key medicines down to zero in several cases. This is expected to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for patients substantially.
2. Free & Subsidised Medicines in States
   • Himachal Pradesh has committed to providing 42 essential cancer medicines and injections free of charge in government hospitals. This includes the costly Trastuzumab vaccine, which can cost around Rs 40,000 per dose. The state is also investing hundreds of crores to strengthen cancer treatment infrastructure.
   • Goa has introduced a policy to reduce the prices of high-cost therapies for cancer and rare diseases, making critical treatments more affordable.
3. Expansion of Cancer Care Infrastructure
   • The government plans to establish day-care cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years, with 200 centres to be set up as early as 2025-26. These are meant to provide first-line chemotherapy and other outpatient services so that patients don’t always have to travel to large urban cancer hospitals for every treatment.
   • Some state hospitals and cancer institutes are expanding bed capacities and diagnostic / treatment facilities to handle increasing patient load. For example, in Bengaluru, the Kidwai Memorial Institute is increasing capacity, and peripheral cancer centers are being planned or expanded in other districts.
4. Health Insurance / Government Welfare Schemes
   Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) and other state health schemes, many cancer patients from low-income families are receiving coverage for diagnostics and treatment, which was difficult or unaffordable previously. Doctors report that because of these schemes, dropouts in treatment due to cost have declined, and more patients are seeking treatment early.

Expected Impact

• Reduced Financial Burden: Cuts in tax and duty on medicines lead directly to lower drug costs. Free supply of essential medicines in government hospitals helps people who can’t afford private prices.
• Better Access in Rural Areas: More district-level and peripheral centres mean patients in remote or rural locations will have easier access to cancer care.
• Early Detection & Treatment: Lower cost and better availability help prevent delays in diagnosis. Early treatment generally improves survival rates.
• Healthcare Equity: These moves narrow the gap between what urban, wealthier patients can access and what patients in poorer or rural areas can get.

Challenges & What’s Next

• Implementation quality will matter: free medicines are helpful only if the supply chains, hospital staffing, diagnostic support, and infrastructure are in place.
• Awareness is needed: Many eligible patients may not know about these benefits or how to access them.
• Monitoring of scheme effectiveness: Measuring how many patients are actually getting free medicines / treatment vs how many are eligible but left out will be important.