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Karnataka Government proposes setting up day care chemotherapy services in sixteen districts, making a giant leap for better access of cancer care. This is likely to shrink the patient's travel burden, especially for poor, rural patients, and improve treatment outcomes.
Responding to a growing health challenge
According to Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka reports around 70,000 new cancer cases every year. The most commonly diagnosed cancers in the state are:
Breast cancer (18%)
Cervical cancer (14%)
Oral cancer (12%)
Lung cancer (8%)
Colorectal cancer (6%)
The rate of oral cancer, at 12 cases per 1 lakh people, is higher than the national average, and breast cancer occurs at a rate of 35 per 1 lakh women.
"Karnataka records approximately 70,000 new cancer cases annually. The most common cancers are breast (18%), cervical (14%), oral (12%), lung (8%) and colorectal (6%). Oral cancer incidence in the state stands at 12 cases per 1 lakh population, which is higher than the national average, while the incidence of breast cancer is 35 cases per 1 lakh women population." Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka.
Less travel, more access
About 60% of cancer patients in Karnataka are said to be traveling over 100 km for chemotherapy, mostly to major cities like Bengaluru, Hubballi, and Mysuru. These long journeys sometimes led to a 30% dropout rate, largely due to patients struggling with the financial and logistical strains of making those trips frequently.
The new centers will try to reduce patient travel, reduce out-of-pocket expenditure by 40%, and sustainably improve adherence.
A clever and scalable healthcare model
The day-care chemotherapy centers will function under the hub and spoke model:
HUBS: Tertiary care hospitals for advanced procedures, diagnostics, and treatment planning.
Spokes (DCCCs): District-level day-care chemotherapy centers will provide outpatient chemotherapy, palliative care, consultation, and basic lab services.
These DCCCs will be linked to tertiary hospitals through formal agreements, ensuring consistent and high-quality care.
"The centres are expected to reduce travel time for patients, bring down out-of-pocket expenses by an estimated 40% and improve treatment adherence by making services more accessible. For hospitals, it will decongest the burden on tertiary centres," Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao explained.
Expert staff and essential medicines
Each DCCC will have a visiting oncologist, two trained nurses, a physician, a pharmacist, and a counsellor. Medicines will be procured following standard guidelines based on the essential medicines list maintained by the Suvarna Arogya Tahashava Trust (SAST).
Where are these centers coming up?
The 16 districts selected for these centers include:
Bagalkot, Ballari, Bengaluru Urban/Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Haveri, Kolar, Mysuru, Tumkur, Udupi, Vijayanagara and Vijayapura
A future can be healthy, within reach
This is a step towards equitable cancer care in Karnataka. By bringing treatment services close to the patients' homes, the government hopes to improve survival rates and reduce the stress and financial burden on the family
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)
