Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new scheme — Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for NorthEast (PM-DevINE) in the Union Budget 2022-23 with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore.

PM-DevINE

• The scheme will be implemented through the North-Eastern Council.

• It will fund infrastructure, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti, and social development projects based on felt needs of the northeast region. 

• This will enable livelihood activities for youth and women, filling the gaps in various sectors. 

• It will not be a substitute for existing central or state schemes. 

• It aims to ensure the saturation of basic amenities in the region.

Northeast India has high burden of cancer

• As per the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Cancer Registry Data Report on “National Cancer Registry Programme Report, 2020”, there is an increase in the estimated number of incidence of cancer cases in the country from 13.25 lakh in 2018 to 13.92 lakh in 2020.

• The incidence, mortality and cumulative risk of developing cancer has been consistently high in the Northeastern Region (NER), according to reports of the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP).

• The national average incidence of cancer every year varies from 90-120 per lakh population, whereas in the North-Eastern Region it is as high as 220-270 per lakh population. 

• As per the ICMR report, more than 45,000 new cancer patients are detected in the region each year.

• The region has a unique cancer profile compared to the other areas of the country. According to NCRP survey, Aizawl district in Mizoram recorded the highest Age-Adjusted Incidence Rate (269.4 per 100,000) in males, and Papum Pare district in Arunachal Pradesh recorded the most elevated AAR (219.8 per 100,000) in females for all cancer sites. 

• Likewise, the crude mortality rate of cancer was highest in males (115.0 per 100,000) and females (69.6 per 100,000) in Aizawl district of Mizoram state.

• As per the ICMR report, 95 per cent of patients from Sikkim, 58 per cent from Nagaland, 16 per cent from Manipur, 13 per cent from Meghalaya go out of the North-Eastern Region for cancer treatment. 

• Moreover, some cancers like paediatric and adult haematolymphoid (blood cancers) malignancies are among the curable cancers and, if treated optimally, patients can survive to live a long life. However, the expertise to treat these cancers are restricted to some specialised centres in the country.

• Dr. Bhubaneswar Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) was set up in 1974 in  Guwahati as a private hospital by a voluntary organisation for the treatment of cancer patients. In 1980, the institute was recognised by the government as a Regional Cancer Centre for Treatment & Research and since November 1989, BBCI has received the support of the government of Assam, North-Eastern Council and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). In September 2017, the Institute was transferred to DAE under the administrative control of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai along with existing personnel, assets and liabilities. Today, as many as 14,000 new and 200,000 old patients with cancer visit BBCI every year for diagnosis, treatment, and check-up.

PM-DevINE scheme to boost cancer care in northeast

• One of the major projects identified under the scheme is “Establishment of Dedicated Services for the Management of Paediatric and Adult Haematolymphoid Cancers in North-East India", to be located at BBCI in Guwahati at an estimated cost of Rs 129 crore. 

• This initiative is expected to give a huge boost to cancer care in the region. 

• In the last 11 years, 3,855 childhood and adult haematolymphoid cancer patients reported to BBCI for treatment. 

• Due to the dearth of adequate facilities other than the BBCI in the northeast, there may be many more patients who need this specialised care but do not get it close to home and must travel to other centres across the country.

• Once a dedicated paediatric oncology block is established, approximately 1,000 patients annually can be offered treatment for this group of ailments, which will significantly reduce the patient expenditure and benefit the people of the North-Eastern Region immensely.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store