The cabinet meeting has made a decision to provide Rs 5,000 as monthly welfare allowance to kidney failure, cancer patients and to people with spinal injury.

Financial assistance will be provided to those in need of free dialysis service, cancer treatment and treatment for paralysis due to spinal injury, according to Minister for Commerce Meen Bahadur Bishwakarma.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) on December 15 had submitted a proposal for providing financial assistance to the patients.

In the fiscal 2016-17, 4,271 people have received haemodylasis service, 142 kidney transplants have been performed and 198 patients are under medication after kidney transplant. 8,643 patients have received assistance for cancer treatment in the fiscal, according to the health ministry.

Poverty Stricken Citizens Fund was established after the second people’s movement to provide financial assistance to patients suffering from life-threatening diseases that cannot afford to pay for health services.

The Himalayan Times Reports cardiovascular diseases, cancer, renal failure, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, head and spinal injury, sickle cell anaemia and stroke are covered under this program. A total of 17,471 new and old patients have taken financial assistance for the treatment of these diseases.