BENGALURU: The city-based government-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) treats the second largest number of cancer patients among the 27 Regional Cancer Centres (RCCs) in India, but stands last but one in utilising funds allocated for the purpose, according to data put up by the Union Health Ministry about usage of the Health Minister’s Cancer Patient Fund.
Spokepersons for the hospital said that they have enough cases to request for a higher allocation, but they have funds from various other government grants and donations from philanthropists too.
The hospital utilised a mere Rs 20 lakh from the fund in 2016-17 while Madhya Pradesh’s RCC utilised Rs 2.9 crore; Assam and UP, Rs 1.3 crore each; and Tamil Nadu, Rs 1.2 crore. The fund was set up in 2009 for providing financial assistance to poor patients suffering from cancer. A corpus of Rs 100 crore is available with the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), placed in a fixed deposit. Interest accrued on it is utilised to provide the financial assistance. Patients suffering from cancer and living below poverty line are eligible to apply.
Financial assistance is provided to patients being treated in 27 RCCs, Kidwai hospital being one of them. Funds of up to Rs 50 lakh are at their disposal, for providing treatment for up to Rs 2 lakh in each case. Cases involving treatment beyond Rs 2 lakh are referred to union health ministry for availing funds.
Dr Ramachandra C, Director, KMIO, said, “We got Rs 40 lakh from the Union Health Ministry fund last year (2017-18) for 30 patients for high-end radiotherapy, of which Rs 25,000 is still unspent. We will use it this year. This year (2018-19), we haven’t received any funds yet. The requested amount is never sanctioned. We have enough cases to request for Rs 1 crore, not just a revolving fund of Rs 50 lakh.”
The hospital, however, relies on various other grants.
Dr S Krishnamurthy, Surgical Oncologist, KMIO, said, “For the past five years, 90 per cent of our patients were availing Rs 1.5 lakh each in a year under Vajpayee Arogyashree Scheme. Now it has been subsumed into Arogya Karnataka. Apart from that we have SC/ST fund of Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore, which is given to the hospital from the state government and RAN for radiotherapy gives patients Rs 50,000 per patient per year. We have philanthropists, the CM’s Relief Fund and Children Welfare Fund.”