92% Swasthya Sathi breast cancer patients completed treatment: Study
Times of India | 16 March 2025
Kolkata: The Swasthya Sathi scheme has significantly improved access to curative treatments and enhanced treatment completion rates for breast cancer patients in Bengal, according to research by a group of doctors from multiple hospitals in the state. However, the study also pointed out critical gaps in the coverage of diagnostic and staging investigations, as well as onco-plastic procedures for breast cancer, which limit the scope of the scheme. The research was recognised at the St Gallen Breast Cancer Conference in Vienna recently.
Nine eminent doctors from the Institute of Breast Disease, NCRI Hospital Kolkata, and SH Binayak Hospital, Kolkata, collected data from 2,450 breast cancer patients treated under the scheme. The goal of the study was to assess the impact of the state-sponsored health insurance schemes in improving treatment adherence and completion rates for early-stage and locally advanced breast cancers in low and middle-income countries.
Those who received ‘definitive treatment' under the scheme were included in the study. The key outcomes were compared with those who did not receive treatment under Swasthya Sathi.
The data analysis revealed that 92% of the women under Swasthya Sathi completed their prescribed treatment compared to 60% who were not covered by any health insurance scheme. After a minimum of one cycle of chemotherapy, a substantial number of patients who initially started treatment with cash converted to Swasthya Sathi due to financial constraints.
The scheme, says the study, reduced out-of-pocket expenses by over 70%, making curative treatment more accessible for socio-economically disadvantaged populations.
"This is a proud moment for Bengal. The pros and cons of Swasthya Sathi have been presented on the basis of scientific research at an international medical forum," said Soumen Das, one of the researchers.
However, 12% of the Swasthya Sathi patients did not undergo onco-plastic procedures as these surgeries were not fully covered under the current scheme guidelines. Diagnostic and staging investigations like biopsies, imaging, and tumour markers were often paid out of pocket, leading to delayed treatment initiation in 25% of cases.