Spending on cancer care under the Tamil Nadu government’s Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) has steadily increased over the years. Health officials say the amount spent on oncological treatments — medical, surgical, and radiation — was ₹142 crore in 2023, ₹147 crore in 2024, and ₹84 crore till August this year.
Coronary angioplasty and dialysis lead the list of procedures covered by the CMCHIS. “Now, medical oncology and radiation oncology are among the top 10 packages to be covered under the CMCHIS. Utilisation is increasing,” an official said.
The CMCHIS has detailed treatment protocols for oncology. All are internationally approved protocols, a senior official said, adding, “Oncology is an evolving field, and we add treatments as required. Treatments for a significant number of patients are met by the CMCHIS.”
Empanelled hospitals
Currently, 183 hospitals are empanelled under the CMCHIS for medical oncology, 171 for surgical oncology, and 52 for radiation oncology. Palliative chemotherapy is the major outgo in medical oncology, while linear accelerator and cobalt therapy are available in radiation oncology. In 2022, the packages were updated. A few drugs for immunotherapy were also added, while chemotherapy already has wide coverage, officials said.
