22-05-2025
Daycare chemo centres in Karnataka's 16 districts to improve cancer care
Bengaluru: The govt will launch daycare chemotherapy centres in 16 districts to improve access to cancer treatment and reduce the burden on tertiary hospitals. The initiative aims to address the challenges faced by cancer patients, particularly those from rural areas.
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said: "Karnataka records approximately 70,000 new cancer cases annually. The most common cancers are breast (18%), cervical (14%), oral (12%), lung (8%) and colorectal (6%). Oral cancer incidence in the state stands at 12 cases per 1 lakh population, which is higher than the national average, while the incidence of breast cancer is 35 cases per 1 lakh women population."
Statistics provided by the department revealed that 60% of cancer patients travel over 100km to access chemotherapy services in cities like Bengaluru, Hubballi and Mysuru.
"We saw high dropout rates — 30% — due to cost and logistics of repeated visits," he said.
According to the minister, the new centres will be set up under hub-and-spoke model, in which tertiary care hospitals will serve as hubs and district-level hospitals will act as spokes. In Karnataka, they will be set up through an MoU between tertiary care centres and district daycare chemotherapy centres (DCCCs). The hubs will handle complex procedures and diagnostics, while DCCCs will provide outpatient chemotherapy, palliative care, counselling and basic laboratory investigations.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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"The centres are expected to reduce travel time for patients, bring down out-of-pocket expenses by an estimated 40% and improve treatment adherence by making services more accessible. For hospitals, it will decongest the burden on tertiary centres," he explained.
Each DCCC will be staffed with a visiting medical oncologist, two trained nurses, physician, pharmacist and counsellor. Drug procurement will follow standardised protocols based on the essential medicines list issued by Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST).
"The districts where DCCCs are being established are Bagalkot, Ballari, Bengaluru Urban/Rural, Ramanagara, Chitradurga, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Haveri, Kolar, Mysuru, Tumkur, Udupi, Vijayanagara and Vijayapura," the minister added.
