New Delhi, Feb 2 (PTI) The government is taking various measures to provide increased access to cancer treatment, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

As per the National Cancer Registry Programme Report of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the year 2020, estimated incidence of cancer cases in the country stood at 13,58,415 in 2019, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

In government hospitals, treatment is either free or highly subsidised. Treatment of cancers is also available under the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), he added.

"In order 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," Gowda said.  

Oncology is also one of the focus areas in case of new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), he added.

The government has launched a portal www.cancerindia.org with the theme 'India Against Cancer' that provides information on the leading cancers in India with a major focus on awareness, prevention and treatment, Gowda said.

On the government's efforts to put a cap on prices of cancer drugs to make them affordable for patients, he said the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the ceiling prices of 86 anti-cancer scheduled formulations under the National List of Essential Medicines, 2015.

NPPA had also in February 2019 put a cap on trade margins of 42 select non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines under the 'Trade Margin Rationalisation Approach', Gowda said.

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