Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced a fund for organ transplants and treatments over Rs 5 lakh, enhancing health insurance. He also called for comprehensive cancer treatment policies and their establishment.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Monday that his administration will establish a fund to finance organ transplants and other medical treatments exceeding Rs 5 lakh. Fadnavis mentioned at a meeting of the governing council of the State Health Assurance Society that the program will broaden the coverage of health insurance schemes.

He instructed the state medical education and drugs department to develop a detailed policy for offering inclusive cancer treatment services throughout the state. Fadnavis led a meeting in which he emphasized the necessity of creating cancer treatment centres at various levels for successful execution.

The CM has sanctioned the addition of 2,399 procedures to the unified Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana (MJPJAY), increasing from the existing 1,356.

Fadnavis announced that nine expensive procedures, such as heart, lung, kidney, and bone marrow transplants, would be included in the new fund. He instructed officials to chart the empanelled hospitals by taluka and ensure that patients in underprivileged areas can access the scheme. The CM stated that private hospitals would be encouraged to establish 30-bed units in those areas

Fadnavis urged the health department to boost the count of ‘Aarogya Mitras' in rural regions and to create an AI-driven mobile application with chatbot assistance to offer information on hospitals, treatments, and advantages under the schemes, according to an official statement.

The meeting resolved to incorporate 25 treatments at the primary health centre level into the list, encompass all rural and urban PHCs, and standardize treatment costs. Hospitals would now receive incentives based on quality certifications instead of category, according to the National Health Authority's policy.

Fadnavis stated the state intends to execute the schemes with greater transparency and efficiency, aiming for Maharashtra to be among the top three in the nation in terms of health scheme performance.

He instructed that the halted construction of Sant Tukdoji Maharaj Cancer Hospital in Nagpur be restarted at once, with necessary funds to be provided through supplementary requests. The official release stated that the chief minister would request Shri Saibaba Sansthan to establish a modern cancer hospital in Sainagar, Shirdi.

He stressed that underprivileged patients should get prompt treatment and instructed the establishment of a centralized cloud command hub for L3-level (tertiary) care, urging that early diagnostic tools and efficient treatment options be made available to cancer patients. Fadnavis urged officials to guarantee that every district provides integrated cancer care services, comprising diagnostic facilities, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy units