Dimple Yadav, MP from Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, and a prominent socialist leader associated with the Samajwadi Party, urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman on Friday to consider a reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on breast cancer drugs. from the existing 12 per cent to 5 per cent.
Taking to her social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Yadav addressed the concerning issue of breast cancer, with India reporting the highest number of breast cancer-related deaths. Identifying affordability as a key barrier to treatment, Yadav expressed her earnest consideration to the Finance Minister for a significant GST reduction on all breast cancer drugs.
In her statement on the social media platform, she wrote, "Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer globally, and India ranks highest in the number of breast cancer deaths. One of the key reasons is the affordability of the treatment. With sincere humility, I would urge Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman ji to reduce the GST on all breast cancer drugs from 12 per cent to 5 per cent, as it has been done for a few other drugs in the past. The women of our entire country would welcome this decision, and this would make cancer treatment affordable for the needy."
Breast cancer in India
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in India, with a prevalence rate of 25.8 cases per 100,000 people, and in 2020, it accounted for 13.6 per cent of all new cancer cases and roughly 13.3 fatalities per 100,000 people. An estimated 2.3 million new cases of breast cancer were reported in 2020, accounting for 11.7 per cent of all cancer cases.
