For the treatment of 134 patients, the central government has given ₹22.20 crore, the amount will be spent under this policy

 

The Central Health Ministry has issued an amount of 22.20 crore rupees for 134 patients undergoing treatment in 8 hospitals dedicated to the treatment of rare diseases. This amount has been issued following the guidelines issued last August to provide financial assistance to such patients.

The Central Health Ministry has issued an amount of 22.20 crore rupees for 134 patients undergoing treatment in 8 hospitals dedicated to the treatment of rare diseases. This amount has been issued following the guidelines issued last August to provide financial assistance to such patients. It was reported that on May 19, the Ministry increased the financial assistance limit from 20 lakh rupees to 50 lakh rupees for the treatment of rare diseases of all categories. The government issued guidelines on August 11 to provide financial assistance to such patients under the National Policy for Rare Diseases-2021 (National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021).

The number of CoEs increased for the treatment of rare diseases

According to officials, the number of Centers of Excellence (CoE) for the treatment of other rare diseases, including Gochar disease, tyrosinemia, severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), has been increased from 8 to 11.

He said that these centers of excellence include Delhi-based AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lucknow-based Sanjay Gandhi PG Medical Research Institute (SGPGI), Chandigarh PG Medical Research Institute (PGIMER), Hyderabad-based Center for DNA Fingerprinting along with Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Mumbai-based King Edward Medical Hospital, Kolkata-based PGIMER, Bengaluru-based Indira Gandhi Hospital with Center for Human Genetics, Jodhpur-based AIIMS and Kerala's SAT Hospital are included.

₹25 crore has been allocated for rare diseases in Budget 2022-23

Official sources said, "The guidelines for the release of financial assistance have come from 8 centers of excellence, and 22.20 crore rupees have been released for treatment."

Sources said that in the 2022-23 budget, 25 crore rupees have been allocated for rare diseases and the remaining 2.8 crore rupees will be released for the treatment of patients suffering from rare diseases. He said that the guidelines mention that financial assistance of up to 50 lakh rupees per patient can be given under this scheme and this amount is given to the respective centers of excellence where the treatment is being done.