Chandigarh, March 24 (NationPress) The Punjab government is currently evaluating a proposal that would allow hospitals in other states to be included in the treatment network for childhood cancer patients under the state's official health insurance program, as stated by an official on Tuesday.

“We have recently received a request for empanelment from a hospital in Gurugram, Haryana, where five patients from Punjab were transferred for treatment from AIIMS,” mentioned Dr. Gagandeep Singh Grover, Assistant Director of Non-Communicable Diseases at the Department of Health and Family Welfare (DHFW) in Punjab.

He made these comments on the sidelines of a consultative workshop aimed at enhancing treatment access for children with cancer.

During the discussion, Dr. Sushil Mahi, Director of NCD in Haryana, shared the state government’s commitment to exploring various avenues to facilitate seamless access to cancer treatment for children at nearby centers of excellence.

Poonam Bagai, a member of the ICMR Central Ethics Committee on Human Research and founder of Cankids, emphasized that the six states and UTs in northwestern India must collaborate, as patients frequently seek treatment across state borders.

For instance, patients from Uttar Pradesh can utilize their state’s financial support at a treatment facility in Madhya Pradesh; however, such interoperability of government insurance schemes remains limited among the six northern states/UTs.

Bagai called for state governments to collectively work as stakeholders to find solutions for the 4,400 children battling cancer in the region—from Ladakh to Himachal to Haryana—enabling financial assistance from their home states to follow them if they opt for treatment in more accessible centers across state lines.

“For example, beneficiaries of the Punjab Mukhyamantri Rahat Kosh should be allowed to receive treatment in Haryana, and similarly, children from Ladakh and Himachal should be able to access their government’s financial aid schemes while undergoing treatment at PGI, Chandigarh,” Bagai stated.

The conclave featured participants such as Shruti Kakkar, Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Consultant in the Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Unit at CMC, Ludhiana, and Amita Trehan, Professor in the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit at the Advanced Pediatric Centre, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Discussions at the conference centered on an Integrated Model for Comprehensive Childhood Cancer Care in NW India, Gap Financing & Universal Health Coverage, the Role of Tertiary Centres in Enhancing Survival Outcomes, and From Policy to People: Leveraging Government–NGO Partnerships for Last-Mile Impact.

Bagai emphasized that a task force will soon be established to coordinate with state governments and other stakeholders, ensuring that children with cancer receive the best possible treatment funded by their respective state governments, irrespective of the geographical boundaries in the six states/UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, J&K, and Ladakh.