PANAJI
The State government is contemplating making its medical insurance scheme, Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), more effective in cancer treatment, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Tuesday.
He also announced that the anti-cancer medicine PHESGO, a fixed-dose combination of two monoclonal antibodies in oncology for treating HER-2 positive breast cancer patients, would be provided free of cost to patients at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) from February 4 onwards.
Speaking to media persons at the sidelines of an event celebrating the completion of one lakh free breast cancer screenings across Goa, Rane said that he is in discussion with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to make the health insurance scheme more potent or flexible in cancer treatment.
He mentioned that the Chief Minister is working on modifying the scheme.
Rane noted that out of the 2.5 lakh women in the State above the age of 30, one lakh have been screened for breast cancer through an initiative by cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Foundation, the Government of Goa, the SBI Foundation, and UE LifeSciences.
The initiative began in October 2021.
“The remaining 1.5 lakh women will be screened within the next one and a half years. We aim to make Goa breast cancer-free,” he said.
The Minister stated that a tri-cancer screening for cervical, oral, and breast cancer will be conducted on a large scale, making Goa the first state to do such mass screening.
He further informed that the digitized cancer registry would be functional in two months.
From February 4 onwards, GMC will provide the anti-cancer medicine Pertuzumab Trastuzumab free of charge to early-stage cancer patients. Rane emphasized that this advanced treatment has the potential for a complete cure if administered in the early stages of breast cancer.
Goa will be the first state to implement this scheme, offering it free of cost and aiming to set an exemplary healthcare model for the rest of the world.
Rane also mentioned that the construction of the ongoing Tertiary Cancer hospital is being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office since it is a gift to the people of Goa.
