Monday Musing
[ Bengia Ajum ]
Often, the government announces schemes to benefit the people, but rarely do they reach the real beneficiaries they are meant for. Whether in education, entrepreneurship, agriculture, horticulture, or health, the state government runs several schemes. It is often seen that, due to political intervention, the actual beneficiaries are deprived, while political workers end up receiving the benefits.
However, two major schemes launched by the Arunachal Pradesh government a few years ago – the Chief Minister Organ Transplant Scheme (CMOTS) and the Chief Minister’s Free Cancer Chemotherapy Scheme (CMFCCS) – have significantly benefitted people, especially those from economically weaker backgrounds.
The CMFCCS was launched on 1 August, 2017 at the tertiary cancer centre, TRIHMS, Naharlagun. The then health commissioner Kaling Tayeng reportedly played a crucial role in initiating this scheme by convincing the state government. “He played an instrumental role in starting this scheme. He was the one who convinced the political leadership,” said Dr Sam Tsering, state nodal officer, Cancer Control Programme.
Before its launch, an MoU was signed between Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, and the State Cancer Society of Arunachal Pradesh for the procurement of chemotherapy medicines at highly concessional rates. The scheme covers APST cancer patients as well as regular state government employees, including non-APST cancer patients and their dependents. Chemotherapy medicines are provided free of cost, with a ceiling of Rs 5 lakh per patient per annum. A total of 5,242 people have benefited from this scheme so far, significantly reducing the financial burden on patients.
Now in its ninth year, the scheme’s importance continues to grow with the rising number of cancer cases. Experts, however, have called for improvements. “A mechanism to cover high-end chemotherapy drugs, which are very expensive, needs to be developed. At present, the Rs 5 lakh ceiling gets exhausted quickly,” said Dr Tsering.
The Chief Minister’s Organ Transplant Scheme (CMOTS) is another initiative that has been immensely beneficial. Under this scheme, the state government provides financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh for kidney transplantation, Rs 15 lakh for bone marrow transplantation, and Rs 20 lakh for liver transplantation.
It was launched in 2018 as Chief Minister’s Renal Replacement Scheme (CMRRS) and later expanded into Chief Minister Organ Transplant Scheme (CMOTS) in 2025.
“A total of 255 lifesaving organ transplant procedures have been supported under the scheme till now, which include 248 kidney transplants, four liver transplants and three bone marrow transplants,” informed Dr Dipu Lowang, nodal officer (SOTTO)-cum-member secretary CMOTS.
Further, he said that, understanding the increasing burden of organ failure and the high cost associated with transplant procedures, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh expanded the scope of the scheme to include additional lifesaving transplant services.
While the Chief Minister’s Free Cancer Chemotherapy Scheme has been widely publicised, many people are still unaware of the Chief Minister’s Organ Transplant Scheme. There is a need for greater grassroots-level awareness, so that more people can benefit from it.
Among all the schemes launched by Chief Minister Pema Khandu during his tenure, these two have truly touched the lives of those in genuine need. However, like any scheme, there is always scope for improvement, and this is an area where the government should focus.
