GUWAHATI, Oct 1 - Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati has been ranked third in the implementation of Ayushman Bharat (AB) � Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) scheme of the Government of India for cancer services across India in its second year (Arogya Manthan 2.0).
In Assam, BBCI tops the list for implementation of the scheme. Medical College and Hospital in Kerala and Cancer Institute, Adyar in Tamil Nadu secured the first and the second positions, respectively, in implementation of AB-PMJAY.
A total of 9,811 cancer patients have received free treatment under the scheme at the BBCI in the last two years. In India, till now, around 1.3 crore hospital admissions and 22,395 hospitals are empanelled under the AB-PMJAY scheme.
The scheme has issued 12.59 crore e-cards to beneficiaries in the country.
BBCI director Dr Amal Chandra Kataki said that before the scheme was introduced in 2018, many cancer patients either could not afford the treatment or used to leave for their homes halfway through treatment due to lack of financial resources. �This AB-PMJAY scheme has been a boon for many cancer patients from the underprivileged sections. We hope, in future, we are going to witness good outcomes and improvement in overall survival of cancer patients,� he added.
Asish Banerjee from Tripura whose brother underwent treatment at the BBCI expressed happiness at receiving free treatment under the AB-PMJAY scheme. �If this scheme was not initiated by the government, it would not have been possible for us to afford the treatment for our brother,� he said.
Ful Khatun from Dhubri said her husband received three cycles of chemotherapy free of cost under the AB-PMJAY scheme. �It would not have been possible for us to afford the treatment all by ourselves,� she said.
Balarish Lyngdoh from Meghalaya added, �My mother�s initial diagnosis was done at Shillong. We received assistance from the AB-PMJAY scheme and my mother underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy at BBCI, which was indeed a great support for a family like ours. The AB-PMJAY is a noble scheme. But the only issue is it takes a long time like a whole day for receiving the approval. I hope this can be rectified.�