Cuttack, Dec. 10: The state government has decided to provide cancer patients with free chemotherapy drugs at the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre here.

The move is part of ongoing plans to upgrade the hospital to an apex cancer centre in the country, sources said.

Patients would be provided with the drugs under the Nirmaya scheme in the next couple of days. Earlier, free drugs used to be provided only to the poor patients under the Odisha State Treatment Fund.

"Under the flagship programme, the high-end chemotherapy drugs would now be provided to all indoor patients undergoing treatment free of cost," said centre director Lalatendu Sarangi.

Sarangi said that earlier the state government had enrolled 73 types of cancer drugs under the essential drugs list. Of these, 22 types of chemotherapy drugs would be available at the hospital in the first phase. Another 60 types of drugs would be made available at the medical facility's drug distribution centre after the hospital receives the analysis report, a senior official said.

In 2010, the state government had announced that it would provide cancer drugs at affordable rates by setting up low-cost medicine stores. However, the move was delayed due to formalities and finding suppliers, who could provide such medicines at subsidised rates.

Major drugs, including the expensive ones for leukaemia, breast cancer, lung, head, neck and oral cancers, would be made available at the hospital.

"The move would come as a major relief for the patients. They had to spend nearly Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 for each chemotherapy session. Now, with the free chemotherapy drugs, the cost of undergoing treatment would come down substantially," said Kishore Swain, a patient.

At present, the cost of cancer treatment ranges between Rs 2.5 to Rs 3.5 lakh in a government hospital and over Rs 5 lakh at private hospitals.