SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has revised the Cancer Treatment and Management Fund for Poor Patients (CTMFP), increasing financial assistance for eligible cancer patients, widening the income eligibility criteria and allowing beneficiaries to receive support on up to three occasions under the scheme.
The modifications were approved through Government Order No. 1456-JK(GAD) of 2026, issued by the General Administration Department on August 31.
Under the revised provisions, cancer patients from families with an annual income of up to Rs 3 lakh will be eligible for financial assistance of Rs 75,000, while those with an annual family income above Rs 3 lakh and up to Rs 4 lakh will be entitled to Rs 50,000.
The government has also replaced the earlier monthly income eligibility criterion of Rs 20,000 with an annual family income ceiling of Rs 4 lakh.
The revised scheme allows eligible patients to receive financial assistance on a maximum of three occasions. Each subsequent sanction will be admissible only after 365 days from the immediately preceding sanction and subject to the submission of a fresh medical certificate confirming continuation of treatment, the latest income certificate and a certificate regarding admissibility of the proposed assistance.
Patients who have already received the existing one-time financial assistance under the scheme will also be eligible for the second and third sanctions under the revised income slabs, provided they fulfil the prescribed conditions.
The government has further streamlined the disbursement process by making Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mandatory. The bank account number, Aadhaar number and contact details of the patient will have to be furnished while forwarding each case.
Financial assistance sanctioned under the scheme will be transferred directly into the beneficiary’s bank account through the concerned Deputy Commissioner. Deputy Commissioners have been directed to ensure that the sanctioned amount is credited within 72 hours of the release of funds by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
The government has also doubled the specified allocations under the scheme’s source of funding provisions, replacing the existing figures of Rs 240, Rs 120, Rs 20 and Rs 10 with Rs 480, Rs 240, Rs 40 and Rs 20, respectively.
The revised order expands the network of eligible treatment facilities to include all government hospitals, government medical colleges and other government institutions providing cancer treatment. Private hospitals registered, recognised and empanelled by the Jammu and Kashmir or Union governments under the Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY SEHAT scheme will also be covered.
The CTMFP was launched in 2010 to support economically weaker cancer patients and facilitate early detection and treatment. While a substantial part of inpatient cancer care is now covered under the Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY SEHAT scheme, the government said patients continue to face considerable expenses on outpatient treatment, diagnostics, medicines and other related requirements.
The revised provisions are intended to complement existing health insurance coverage and reduce the financial burden on low- and middle-income families undergoing cancer treatment.
