The FICCI Roundtable for Rajasthan, held under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, focused on creating a roadmap for making cancer care affordable and accessible in India. The event saw participation from over 70 stakeholders, including government officials, senior clinicians, and representatives from hospitals, MedTech, and pharma companies.
During the roundtable, Shubhra Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health and Family Welfare Department, Govt of Rajasthan, emphasised the state's commitment to early-stage cancer detection and timely treatment. She highlighted Rajasthan's dedication to health with 7.4 per cent of public spending allocated to healthcare. Applauding FICCI's focus on cancer, Singh noted the state's efforts under the Mukhyamantri Aayushman Aarogya (MAA) Yojna, which includes packages offering cashless transactions for those covered.
Singh also announced that the state is developing a population-based cancer registry, with 115 registered hospitals. The State Cancer Institute in Jaipur serves as the apex cancer institute, with additional Territorial Cancer Care Centers in Bikaner and Jhalwar.
Raj Gore, Co-lead of the FICCI Task Force on Cancer Care and CEO of Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG), emphasised the increasing cancer burden in India. A FICCI report projects cancer cases to rise to 250-280 per lakh population by 2030, underscoring the need for accessible and affordable cancer care.
Key stakeholders, including Dr Shalini Singh from the ICMR National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Rehabilitation, Dr Jatin Thakkar from W.H.O., and other health experts, shared their insights during the roundtable. The event was supported by HCG Cancer Hospitals, Varian, and had EY as the Knowledge Partner.
FICCI has been addressing the healthcare crisis through a multistakeholder Task Force formed in 2022. The Task Force, in collaboration with EY, released a report titled ‘Call for Action: Making quality cancer care more accessible and affordable in India’. This report has been submitted to various healthcare departments.
To further this cause, FICCI is organising regional roundtables across India. Following events in Gandhinagar, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar, the Jaipur Roundtable brought together stakeholders to discuss strategies for tackling the cancer burden and improving cancer care accessibility and affordability.
_20241220145628_original_image_22.webp)
