TIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here has begun the process of launching the fourth edition of its much sought after Cancer Care for Life (CCL) scheme. While a tentative six-month deadline has been set for its launch, RCC sources said the deadline is likely to be extended as the process of preparing the population registry of cancer patients and assessing the cost of treatment under the present scenario is still ongoing.
“The CCL will be entering its fourth edition. Compared to the previous three editions, the scenario has changed a lot. There has been a spike in the number of cancer patients and the cost of expense has also skyrocketed. Thus before launching the CCL a well thought out plan is needed,” said an RCC functionary.
Meanwhile, a Health Department officer said as part of implementing the CCL, the process of analysing various cancer treatment protocols and identifying the flaws in the CCL’s first three versions have been completed. He also said the process of framing the rules and procedures of the CCL’s upcoming edition is finished.
“The rules and procedures thus framed will have to be analysed by a legal expert. Once the procedures are completed the CCL will be launched,” said the officer. Envisaged as a welfare fund for cancer patients, those who subscribe to the CCL will be provided with standard diagnostic and treatment facilities at the RCC and this includes the cost of medicine, expenses for hospital stay and others.
It was in 1986 the RCC first came out with the CCL. Then the membership fee was a measly `101. The scheme continued till 1991. The second phase of the scheme was launched in 1992 and continued till 1997. The membership fee during the second phase was `500. The third phase of the CCL which was launched in 1997 had continued till August 2014 and it had provided the option of subscribing to `500 or `10,000 membership.