Equitable and affordable cancer program in Assam: An initiative of Tata trusts and Government of Assam

Abstract

The highest cancer incidence and mortality are observed in the northeastern states of India including Assam. The cancer treatment centers in Assam are located only at the state headquarters. Therefore, patients have to travel a long distance, incurring a good number of out-of-pocket expenses. Considering the severity of the issue, the Tata Trusts, in collaboration with the Government of Assam, established the Assam Cancer Care Foundation and developed the distributed cancer care model with a vision to develop cancer institutions to deliver equitable and affordable care closer to the patient’s homes. This is a four-level model. L1 facility is an apex center providing all sophisticated forms of cancer care services including clinical research. L2 facilities developed in Dibrugarh, Silchar, Barpeta, Dhubri, and Diphu provide basic comprehensive oncology services. L3 facilities are being established in Sivasagar, Tinsukia, Nagaon, Nalbari, Golaghat, Goalpara, Tezpur, Darrang, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, and Kokrajhar. These centers will provide diagnostic services to at-risk populations and day-care services for cancer patients. L4 level includes community interventions: preventive health packages delivered at the community level. Seven hospitals at Barpeta, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, and Darrang are functional since 28 April 2022. The rest are at different stages of development. Up to August 2023, 2,78,344 people were screened for common cancers where 211 were confirmed for cancers. During the same time, 31,005 patients were registered, and 18,319 chemotherapy sessions and 62,160 radiation therapy sessions were delivered across the 7 hospitals under government schemes resulting in no financial burden to patients. This intervention by Tata Trusts addresses the barriers of affordability, accessibility, and availability and is replicable to any geography of interest.