Maharashtra Approves Comprehensive Cancer Care Policy, Launches MAHACARE Foundation

The Maharashtra cabinet has approved a comprehensive cancer care policy to strengthen treatment, research, and awareness across the state. Under the policy, the Maharashtra Cancer Care, Research and Education (MAHACARE) Foundation will be established to manage and coordinate cancer services at 18 designated hospitals.

Hospitals will be categorized into three tiers — L1, L2, and L3 centres. The Tata Memorial Hospital will serve as the L1 apex centre, while eight hospitals will function as L2 centres and nine as L3 centres, spread across Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Amravati. These centres will offer radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgery, palliative care, super-specialty training, research, and public awareness initiatives.

The Foundation will begin with an initial corpus of ₹100 crore and will receive 20% of fees collected under the Mahatma Phule Public Health Scheme, in addition to raising funds through clinical trials, donations, grants, and CSR initiatives. Funding has been earmarked at ₹1,529.38 crore for L2 centres and ₹147.70 crore for L3 centres.

The MAHACARE Foundation will be chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as vice-chairmen. Its board will include ministers, senior bureaucrats, domain experts, and private sector representatives, with an expert CEO handling daily operations.

The policy comes amid an 11% rise in cancer incidence in Maharashtra since 2020, as reported by the 2025 ICMR-NCDIR study, and is aligned with the Centre’s directive to establish day-care cancer centres in all district hospitals within the next three years.