Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Rewati Raman Singh on Wednesday urged the government to increase provision for cancer treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Singh said that cancer is spreading at a fast pace in the country and if not checked, it will have a tsunami-like effect.
"Every day, 1,400-1,600 people die from cancer and annually 12 to 15 lakh people die in the country due to it," Singh said.
Mentioning that 60 per cent people live in villages and there is no facility for cancer testing, Singh requested that Primary Health Centre (PHC) and Community Health Centre (CHC) should hold monthly camp for early detection of cancer for timely treatment as treating the disease gets difficult in stage two or three.
"I request an end to tax on cancer medicines and the government to make provision for cancer treatment from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh under Ayushman Bharat Yojna," Singh added.
BJP Member Mahesh Poddar urged the government to make provision for statutory warning on processed meat packets that it may cause cancer like tobacco products.
Congress member L Hanumanthaiah requested the government to provide a special grant to upgrade facilities at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bangalore.
NCP member Vandana Chavan requested that the government develop a credible platform to provide fast, accurate and authentic information about the health crisis situation.
Watch the latest DH Videos here: