Cancer is a disease that can destroy a person physically as well as mentally. However, destruction does not end there. If someone in the family is diagnosed with cancer, it can take a toll on the entire family financially. Treatment of cancer can be very expensive and capable of disturbing the entire financial management of the family. The moment you are diagnosed with cancer you commit yourself to huge hospital and medical bills. According to the best cancer hospital in Mumbai, 80% of the population of the country is still not covered under health insurance because of this such deadly diseases take their toll on them and their entire family.
If you are someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or someone in your family is suffering from the deadly disease, there are six places where you can get financial help for cancer treatment.
1. According to specialists giving the best cancer treatments in Mumbai, the best way to deal with any unprecedented deadly disease is to get yourself covered. Health insurance can be your savior in such difficult times. There are many private and government insurance companies offering different kinds of health insurance. Check out the policies, all things they cover, and their premiums before buying one. Many companies offer you an insurance policy even after you are diagnosed with cancer at a slightly higher premium. If your pocket allows you can buy those policies as well.
2. The next place to look for help for cancer treatment is through government schemes. Both central and state governments run many schemes to help people with weak financial backgrounds. They have certain criteria and norms. If you match those criteria then you are eligible to take help from these government schemes. According to doctors giving cancer treatment in Mumbai, there are different schemes for people with different income groups. You will need to find which scheme is for you based on your annual income. Health Minister Cancer Patients funds, Health Minister Discretionary Grants, The Central Government Health Scheme, the National Health Protection Scheme, Prime Minister National Relief Fund, State Illness Assistance Fund, and The Chief Minister Relief Funds are some of the schemes run by central and state government.
3. Another place to look for help is NGOs. These NGOs can be both state-run and privately owned. Again, they have certain criteria, if you meet those criteria then you become eligible for financial help from these NGOs. The amount of coverage you get from these NGOs depends on your socio-economic background, annual income, type of cancer, and total cost of the treatment. Another important factor is whether the NGO has a tie-up with the medical facility you are going to or not. If not then you will have to look for a facility with which the NGO has a tie-up.
4. Many big corporates run trusts to give financial aid to patients suffering from cancer. These trusts are part of their CSR activity. They tie up with big multispecialty hospitals and patients coming to those hospitals can take advantage of the financial aid offered by these trusts. Any patient who has an annual income below a certain set amount gets the advantage of the help offered by these trusts. TATA Memorial Cancer Research Trust and Kokilaben Cancer Trust are some big names offering financial aid to cancer patients with weak socio-economic backgrounds. These trusts have built separate wings in many multispecialty cancer hospitals where people taking financial aid are treated separately.
5. In many big multispecialty cancer hospitals, special discounts and financial aid are given to patients of weak socio-economic backgrounds as a part of the CSR activity of the hospital. Such hospitals also take care of food, stay, and commute of the patients availing their aid.
6. Indian Cancer Society runs a flagship program called Cancer Cures for Underprivileged Cancer Patients in India. Under this program, the society has treated around 8100 beneficiaries pan India and 45% of these beneficiaries belong to the age group of 16 to 45 years. What’s unique about this program is that the Indian Cancer Society has collaborated with HDFC AMC Ltd which is a debt mutual fund. They have requested the investors of the fund to donate 50% of the dividend earned for cancer relief more than 5000 investors have contributed to the financial aid of underprivileged cancer patients till now.
If you are looking for the best cancer clinic in Mumbai, then Cancer Surgery Clinic is the best place to go. Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan and his team offer state-of-the-art infrastructure for the treatment of the entire gamut of hepatobiliary pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancer. At Cancer Surgery Clinic we understand that cancer is a disease that can break the patient and his family physically, mentally as well as financially. Personalized treatment, empowerment, education, and counseling of both the patient and the family help them to fight this battle of cancer better.
Watch more videos by Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan
Role of Health Check-Ups in Cancer Detection | Best Cancer Surgeon in India – Dr. Ganesh Nagarajan