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At the initiative of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, the state government has taken a major step towards ensuring the health security of employees and their dependent family members by including the state-of-the-art CAR T-cell therapy for cancer treatment in the approved packages under the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS). This decision will enable eligible RGHS beneficiaries to avail themselves of this modern and high-cost medical facility for treating severe blood cancer. The state government's decision marks a significant move towards expanding modern cancer treatment facilities in Rajasthan and providing better healthcare services to beneficiaries.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma stated that the state government is committed to providing modern, high-quality, and accessible healthcare services. Including CAR T-cell therapy in the RGHS-approved packages brings great relief to patients suffering from severe blood cancer and their families. This will offer a new lease of life to patients battling serious illnesses like cancer and spare their families from financial worry during times of crisis. He emphasized that the health security of employees and their dependent family members is a top priority for the government, and efforts are continuously being made to make the RGHS robust, transparent, and beneficiary-centric.

**Benefits for Pensioners Too**
The benefits of this government decision will extend not only to eligible RGHS beneficiaries but also to pensioners receiving medical facilities under the Rajasthan State Pensioners Medical Concession Scheme, 2021. Additionally, beneficiaries availing medical facilities through RGHS in accordance with the RCS (MA) Rules, 2013, will also be covered under this arrangement.

**Package of up to ₹30 Lakh for the Therapy**
Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary of the Medical and Health Department, stated that a package of up to ₹30 lakh has been approved for CAR T-cell therapy. This includes a provision of ₹26 lakh for the cost of manufacturing the CAR T-cells and a limit of up to ₹4 lakh for supportive care and the management of potential complications. Supportive care and complication management include Tocilizumab, IVIG, hospitalization, and medications for 30 days post-discharge. This will provide eligible beneficiaries relief from the exorbitant costs of treatment and facilitate access to modern cancer care for severe cases.

**Cutting-edge technology for treating severe blood cancers**
According to medical experts, CAR-T cell therapy is a state-of-the-art form of immunotherapy. It involves extracting T-lymphocytes from the patient's blood and engineering them in a laboratory to recognize and effectively attack cancer cells. Following necessary quality checks, these modified cells are re-infused into the patient's body. This treatment is primarily effective against severe blood cancers such as certain types of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma—particularly in cases where the disease has relapsed after standard treatment or is resistant to therapy.

**Expert committee to determine eligibility**
Medical experts note that this therapy is not suitable for every cancer patient; therefore, eligibility will be determined by specialist doctors or an expert committee. They will make decisions based on the type of disease, prior treatments, general health status, and established medical criteria. Pre-treatment requirements—including necessary tests, a recommendation from the expert committee, and prior approval—must be fulfilled. The treatment will be administered according to established protocols at authorized centers equipped with trained specialists, continuous medical monitoring, and necessary ICU backup.

**Facility based on international standards**
Harjilal Atal, CEO of the Rajasthan State Health Assurance Agency, stated that the state government recently issued guidelines to make cancer treatment under the RGHS scheme more accessible and of higher quality. These guidelines are based on internationally recognized medical standards, with priority given to the benchmarks set by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), UK. This initiative will ensure that cancer patients have access to a more standardized and evidence-based treatment system.

 Medical Board Process for High-Cost Medicines Now Online
The Medical Board process for approving high-cost medicines for cancer treatment under the RGHS scheme has now been digitized. Beneficiaries no longer need to visit the RGHS office to obtain the Medical Board's recommendation; instead, the hospital submits the patient's case online via the RGHS portal to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, Jaipur. Patients from outside Jaipur are also not required to travel to SMS Hospital for the recommendation; the Medical Board process is conducted online via video call, based on necessary information including the ECOG form. This saves patients and their families from unnecessary travel, time, and expense, and allows the treatment process to proceed more swiftly. Additionally, for cancer patients...

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