India, Aug. 23 -- Cancer patients can expect a significant reduction in treatment costs, after the National Cancer Grid (NCG) negotiated discounts of up to 85% for bulk procurement of key cancer medicines. The discount, applicable to 50 hospitals that are members of the NGC, will also allow essential drugs to reach even remote areas where pharma companies were earlier reluctant to supply medicines due to the high costs of transport etc.

The NCG, funded by the Department of Atomic Energy, involves over 380 healthcare institutions, research centres, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across India and 15 other countries. According to the NGC's convenor and the Tata Memorial Centre's director Dr. C.S. Pramesh, the initiative aims to e...