Financial Support Systems for Cancer Care in India: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

Financial Support Systems for Cancer Care in India: A Qualitative Exploratory Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Financial Support Systems for Cancer Care in India: A Qualitative Exploratory Study Parth Sharma, Disha Agrawal, Atharv Deo, Vid Karmarkar, Pooja Sharma This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8189707/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Purpose The financial toxicity (FT) of cancer care adversely impacts treatment initiation, compliance and completion in low-and middle-income countries like India. This qualitative study aimed to map the financial support systems for cancer care and associated barriers and facilitators in India. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with oncologists working in various settings (public/private, for-profit/not-for-profit, urban/rural). A deductive classification was first applied to organise support system resources into two categories: (1) resources for treatment centres and (2) resources for patients. This was followed by an inductive approach to identify barriers/drawbacks and facilitators until saturation was reached. Results A total of 19 oncologists across 9 Indian states were interviewed. Funding for treatment centres was reportedly obtained through donations, not-for-profits, corporate social responsibility (CSR, the integration of social and environmental concerns into business operations), research grants and loans. Donor expectations, rigid and outdated insurance protocols, and delayed reimbursement were barriers to funding, while networking with donors, hiring professionals to scout for resources, and publication of outcomes enabled funding. For patients, private and public insurance, donations, pharmaceutical company schemes and not-for-profit subsidies were the major resources. Documentation burden, low awareness, insurance denials, and geographical inaccessibility were barriers, while doctors’ motivation, not-for-profit advocacy, and employing financial counsellors facilitated funding. Conclusion Despite diverse funding mechanisms, financial support for cancer care in India remains fragmented and difficult to access. Addressing systemic inefficiencies and expanding patient-centred financial support mechanisms are essential to reducing financial toxicity and improving equitable access to cancer care in India. financial toxicity financial support cancer qualitative research Full Text Additional Declarations Competing interest reported. PS has received funding from Cipla Foundation for research, and is the lead editor of Nivarana.org. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8189707","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":550142750,"identity":"24464303-b448-439d-bdd7-b8d4acf9a5a5","order_by":0,"name":"Parth Sharma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABBElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACZiBOALM+/rEBkoyNBwjoYGyGaWGc2ZAGohqI18LM23AYLIRXizn72eePCxjq8vhnn078wLvjvN3a9sNAW2psonFpsexJN2yewXC4WOJc7mYJyTO3k7edSQRqOZaW24BDi8GBNMZmHoYDiQ1neDdIGLDdTjYDsg8wNhzGreX8M5CWusT5Z3g3/0hgO5dsdv4hAS03wLYwJ244w7tN4mDbATuzGwRssZzxjHE2j8HhxI1ALZYNZ5ITzG4AbUnA4xdz/jSGzzwVdYnzgA67/afCzt7sfPrDBx9qbHA7DIkEg0SwygQcytEUQ4A9HsWjYBSMglEwQgEApCtm/U0IrZUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Parth","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharma","suffix":""},{"id":550142751,"identity":"01dc81d4-2f5c-4e4a-af9d-47156d05127f","order_by":1,"name":"Disha Agrawal","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Disha","middleName":"","lastName":"Agrawal","suffix":""},{"id":550142752,"identity":"d4b068c8-4c45-4d59-8227-bc7dad2d1923","order_by":2,"name":"Atharv Deo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maulana Azad Medical College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Atharv","middleName":"","lastName":"Deo","suffix":""},{"id":550142753,"identity":"b24bab76-04d8-4159-92fb-d33918ba65b5","order_by":3,"name":"Vid Karmarkar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Canseva Foundation","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Vid","middleName":"","lastName":"Karmarkar","suffix":""},{"id":550142754,"identity":"02dbac35-9733-4743-9b9f-61fde2fc7018","order_by":4,"name":"Pooja Sharma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Canseva Foundation","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pooja","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharma","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-11-24 06:08:36","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8189707/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8189707/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":97367999,"identity":"2461cadb-dc1b-4736-88a2-bc4f62b49135","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-03 16:21:12","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":655723,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptCancerCausesandControlFinancialSupportSystemsforCancerCareinIndia.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8189707/v1_covered_d6041028-77df-420f-b3a5-019668b50951.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"Competing interest reported. 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This qualitative study aimed to map the financial support systems for cancer care and associated barriers and facilitators in India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSemi-structured interviews were conducted with oncologists working in various settings (public/private, for-profit/not-for-profit, urban/rural). A deductive classification was first applied to organise support system resources into two categories: (1) resources for treatment centres and (2) resources for patients. This was followed by an inductive approach to identify barriers/drawbacks and facilitators until saturation was reached.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 19 oncologists across 9 Indian states were interviewed. Funding for treatment centres was reportedly obtained through donations, not-for-profits, corporate social responsibility (CSR, the integration of social and environmental concerns into business operations), research grants and loans. Donor expectations, rigid and outdated insurance protocols, and delayed reimbursement were barriers to funding, while networking with donors, hiring professionals to scout for resources, and publication of outcomes enabled funding. For patients, private and public insurance, donations, pharmaceutical company schemes and not-for-profit subsidies were the major resources. Documentation burden, low awareness, insurance denials, and geographical inaccessibility were barriers, while doctors’ motivation, not-for-profit advocacy, and employing financial counsellors facilitated funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite diverse funding mechanisms, financial support for cancer care in India remains fragmented and difficult to access. Addressing systemic inefficiencies and expanding patient-centred financial support mechanisms are essential to reducing financial toxicity and improving equitable access to cancer care in India.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Financial Support Systems for Cancer Care in India: A Qualitative Exploratory Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-02 14:37:07","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8189707/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ad616b80-c0ca-4342-899e-4de17568959d","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 2nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-02T14:37:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-02 14:37:07","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8189707","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8189707","identity":"rs-8189707","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}