Punjab CM cancer scheme brings little relief in his district

PATIALA: Already under fire for the pilferage of funds and empanelment of hospitals sans facilities highlighted by HT, the Mukh Mantri Punjab Cancer Rahat Kosh ( chief minister cancer relief fund) scheme now finds itself lambasted for lax implementation in a university study carried out in CM Parkash Singh Badal’s home district Muktsar.

A reading of ‘ economic consequences of cancer sufferer households’ has been done by Centre for Development Economics and Innovation Studies ( CDEIS), Punjabi University. Between December and February last, its team studied cases of 136 patients – 103 dead – known since 2000 in Muktsar’s four villages — Doda, Bhalaina, Kotbhai and Channu – among the worst affected by Malwa’s cancer menace.

Most (45 or 33%) listed loan from commission agents as prime source of funding for treatment, while in 26 (19.12%) the relatives helped. In 38 cases (28%), it was loan from landlords;

STUDY OF 4 WORST-HIT VILLAGES FINDS NOT ONE CASE WHERE GOVT FUND HELPED THE VICTIM GET TREATMENT

only in 16 cases (11.8%) did the family savings prove helpful. Not one case listed having got any money from the CM relief fund started in June 2011 for those who have no insurance cover or are not government staff.

The complexity of the scheme – transfer of funds through hospitals and utilisation certificates — was primarily blamed, while the allocation – Rs 1.5 lakh per patient maximum – was also found inadequate. “We specifically asked the victims and families if they had got money from the CM fund. The answer was in the negative in each case,” said CDIES coordinator Prof Lakhwinder Gill, who carried out the study funded by the union finance ministry with professors Inderjeet Singh and Parmod Kumar from Punjabi University’s economics department.

Even if a victim would have got money, it would have proved meagre – the study says average amount sanctioned for the treatment of cancer in the state till now was only Rs 1.07 lakh, even less than the Rs 1.5-lakh ceiling, while the average cost of treatment was Rs 3.03 lakh.

Worse, the average annual income was only Rs 36,000 for poor families and Rs 1.29 lakh for the middle-income group. “For the poor, the cost of cancer treatment is equivalent to four and a half years’ income; for the middle-income group, it is two years’ income; and for the high- income group, it is two-thirds of a year’s income,” the study says.

Worse, the average annual income was only Rs 36,000 for poor families and Rs 1.29 lakh for the middle-income group. “For the poor, the cost of cancer treatment is equivalent to four and a half years’ income; for the middleincome group, it is two years’ income; and for the high-income group, it is two-thirds of a year’s income,” the study says.

As a result, in 47% cases the families had to shift to cheaper treatment, while 45% left the treatment and took the patient home in a state of hopelessness. “In many cases, people had to sell their land to meet the cost,” said Prof Inderjeet.

Of the cases, 62 were from agriculture background, 54 involved in household work and 20 others. The subjects were male in 65 cases and female in 71.

“When started, for common victims, this relief fund had emerged as a ray of hope. But it failed to reach the needy, because of complexities involved in applying for funds and the state government’s undeclared move to give relief to those having better chances of surviving,” Gill remarked.

HT had earlier this month reported how hospitals were pocketing funds while charging the patients in full, after which the CM had promised that direct payment to the sufferers would be started “soon”.