The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW) says it is working to bring a programme to provide free treatment to women suffering from breast and uterine cancer. 

The ambitious programme will be implemented in association with the Ministry of Health and is likely to be included in the upcoming budget, Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kumar Khadka told a meeting of the Women, Children, Senior Citizens and Social Welfare Committee of Parliament on Thursday.

Currently, the Ministry of Health provides financial assistance up to Rs 100,000 each to cancer patients.

The MoWCSW is estimating the cost the government has to bear if free breast and uterine cancer treatment is offered to patients, he said. 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year 4,000 new patients of breast and uterine cancer appear in Nepal. 

Minister Khadka also informed the meeting that biopsy test of all women would be conducted by female health workers to diagnose the disease. This programme will start soon, he said. The MoWCSW has sought budget from the Ministry of Finance to launch the service. 

The ministry has already consulted with the embassies of the United States, China, Australia and Denmark in Kathmandu and UN Women- Nepal about the issue. 

At the meeting, Minister Khadka said the provision of providing 10 percent of income to biological parents is also on the cards. We hope such legal provision would discourage the trend of sending parents to elderly homes. 

The minister also informed the meeting that the process to amend Senior Citizens Act is also in the final stage. 

Preparations are underway to revise the Gender Violence Prevention Fund Operation Regulations and to amend the Social Welfare Act and the Children Act, said Minister Khadka. 

The Social Welfare Act is being amended with an aim to curb the tendency among I/NGOs to spend unnecessarily on administrative works.

Lawmakers Ratnadevi Gurung, Dinesh Chandra Yadav, TL Chaudhary, Ranjana Shrestha and Anuradha Thapa demanded an increase in the budget for the welfare of women, children and the elderly. 

Committee President Ranju Kumari Jha urged the government to implement the committee directives.