Opinion: Go for Green Healing

With rising pollution and policy failures, cancer in India demands more than treatment - it requires urgent environmental and healthcare reform

The Union Budget was splashed across headlines with its innumerable numbers and policies, but lurking behind the balance sheets is a threat it has not accounted for yet-the silent, merciless clutches of cancer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that it remains one of humanity’s most deadly enemies, responsible for one in every six fatalities.

For years, cancer has been blamed on genetics and lifestyle, but a far greater threat lurks in our environment - polluted air, contaminated water, and toxic soil fueling a surge in lung, skin, and gastrointestinal cancers. Each breath and sip taken brings millions closer to the disease.

As the government shapes its fiscal path, the key question remains - will it prioritise treatment alone or tackle the root cause through stronger environmental policies? The choice made today will determine whether India secures a healthier future or allows cancer’s relentless rise to continue.

Government Initiative

The Union Budget 2025-26 has provided Rs 99,858.56 crore (1.94 per cent of the total budget) to healthcare. The allocations include Rs 37,226.92 crore for NHM, Rs 9,406 crore for Ayushman Bharat (AB PM-JAY), Rs 4,200 crore for PMABHIM, and Rs 2,445 crore for the Pharmaceutical PLI plan. Also, 200 cancer centres will be set up in district hospitals with the aim of reducing the cost of treatment. For this, the government has provided full exemptions from basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs.

India’s reaction must go beyond traditional healthcare spending since pollution is becoming a major carcinogen. The rising cancer burden, which accounts for 9 per cent of all deaths in India, highlights the need for specialised, climate-resilient cancer treatment facilities. These facilities must contain pollution protection measures, ecologically appropriate medical waste disposal, and long-term healthcare infrastructure.

Without addressing the environmental causes of cancer, India faces a growing healthcare crisis in which treatment efforts are reactionary rather than preventative, and the long-term viability of healthcare is dubious.

Costs & Challenges

The average cost of cancer treatment in India is Rs 5,03,118, whereas the minimum and maximum costs vary between Rs 90,000 and Rs 28,00,000, depending on various factors, including the type and stage of the cancer. Different targeted therapies such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and radiation cost anywhere from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 50,00,000.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have reported a sharp rise in cancer cases from 2021 to 2024, with Uttar Pradesh paying the maximum price owing to heavy air and water pollution as well as inadequate healthcare access. While Tamil Nadu contends with industrial and agricultural pollution, Maharashtra grapples with urban and industrial contamination.

In West Bengal, arsenic-tainted water is a serious health hazard; in Bihar, pesticide-contaminated farmland compounds the problem. Inadequate healthcare infrastructure adds to the woes. With rising pollution and patterns of failed policy, cancer in India is no longer a matter of medicine - it is a need for rapid systemic reform of the environment and health care.

States with the lowest cancer incidence - Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Nagaland, and Mizoram - have characteristic protective factors in common. Little industrialisation keeps their air cleaner and exposure to harmful pollutants lower; their rural and mountainous landscapes help maximise the avoidance of known carcinogens.

Traditional ways of life, including a diet heavy in fresh, organic food and lower use of tobacco and alcohol, also play a role in lower cancer rates. Moreover, extensive public health awareness and early diagnosis interventions, especially in Goa and Mizoram, keep communities healthier.

However, despite offering Rs 5 lakh per household coverage for hospitalisation under Ayushman Bharat, this amount is often inadequate for complete cancer treatment. Increased access to preventive measures, locally manufactured cancer drugs, environmentally sustainable hospital infrastructure and better early detection will produce significant long-term cost savings.

Pollution-related illnesses, especially lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases, now account for 1.4 per cent of India’s GDP, demonstrating the huge health and economic burden of air pollution. The link between air pollution and chronic disease is some blunt numbers we cannot ignore. By adopting an integrated strategy that leverages healthcare investments while also proactively reforming environmental policies, we can lower costs, improve treatment outcomes, and build a more sustainable healthcare ecosystem.

The Crushing Cost

The socioeconomic impact of cancer on individuals, families, and healthcare systems has devastating implications for almost every country in the world, particularly in low- and middle-income nations. Excessive treatment costs, productivity loss, and healthcare access barriers leave patients and families in financial and psychological ruin, and no treatment expenditure can reverse this process. Environmental factors — including industrial pollution, hazardous chemicals, and UV exposure — increase rising rates and impose more economic burdens.

Advancing policies to reduce emissions, switch to clean energy and adopt enhanced agricultural practices could play a role in reducing cancer incidence and easing burdens on health systems.

India’s Challenge

Millions of people fight cancer daily in hospitals, but these same institutions pollute and drain budgets and resources from the environment. Hospitals designed for energy efficiency are a game-changer. Solar panels, smart architectural design, and sustainable garbage use are not just environmentally friendly options, but also smart economic investments. While there are intimidating upfront costs, long-term savings from the latter can allow greater access to healthcare in underserved communities.

The shift toward climate-smart cancer centres represents the next big step forward. Research has shown that hospitals that are built with natural light, clean air and green spaces not only mitigate environmental damage but also help patients heal faster. The Economic Survey 2024-25 promotes this perspective and establishes that sustainability and advanced treatment are not mutually exclusive.

But time is running out. As cancer cases driven by pollution soar, India is confronted with a growing crisis. Clean air and eco-conscious healthcare aren’t luxuries; they’re necessities. The choice is a grim one - heal the patients or allow the system to become the disease itself. What path will India take?

Authors: Prof. Barun Kumar Thakur, Faculty of Economics, FLAME University; Akansha Jain, Undergraduate Student, FLAME University; and Abhimanyu Chaudhary, Undergraduate Student, FLAME University.