FICCI Leads National Dialogue to Strengthen Odisha’s Cancer Care Ecosystem ThroughSustainable Financing.

Bhubaneswar,24 August 2026( Pratyusha Bureau ): FICCI, today organized ‘OncoPharma 2026’ Roundtable on Buildinga Resilient Cancer Care Ecosystem: Equitable Access through SustainableFinancing (Odisha Chapter), bringing together senior government officials,healthcare professionals, oncologists, hospitals, patient advocacy groups, publichealth experts and industry leaders to deliberate on strengthening cancer care inOdisha.Addressing the roundtable, Dr Mukesh Mahaling, Minister of Health & FamilyWelfare, Parliamentary Affairs, Electronics & Information Technology, Government ofOdisha, said, “Odisha is committed to building a resilient and accessible cancer careecosystem through substantial financial investment and robust mass screening. Witha Rs 311 crore budget allocated for the Mukhyamantri Cancer Care Yojana, the statehas expanded local treatment capabilities, establishing day-care chemotherapycentres across 32 districts that recently delivered over 35,000 treatment cycles.”He added that the government has integrated 91 specialised cancer packagesunder state health schemes to reduce the financial burden on vulnerable familiesand is fully engaged in the national HPV vaccination drive for young girls. Hehighlighted the Sustha Nari, Sasakta Parivar initiative, under which more than 1.5crore women have been screened for breast, cervical and oral cancers.Dr Mahaling called for stronger participation from the private sector, industrialhouses and technology startups to take advanced diagnostics and screeningservices to rural communities. He urged major corporations operating in Odisha toutilise their CSR funds to adopt districts and deploy mobile cancer screening vans.He said public-private partnerships, including collaboration with institutions such asthe Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre, can help promote innovative screeningmodels, enable early detection, reduce late-stage treatment costs and ensureequitable access to life-saving cancer care.Mr Jagannath P Nayak, Chairman, FICCI Odisha State Council, said, “As advancesin medicine and technology unlock new possibilities for patients, ensuring theseinnovations reach everyone who needs them—especially in rural areas-remains anessential priority. Cancer imposes profound financial, emotional, and social strainson families, making equitable access, sustainable financing, and early detectionmechanisms critical to easing this burden. Addressing a challenge of this magnituderequires government, healthcare professionals, industry, and patient advocacygroups to break down silos and build a truly resilient, accessible, and affordablecancer care ecosystem together.”