Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Is colon cancer treatment covered under Aarogyasri? | CION Cancer Clinics
Yes. Colon cancer is on the Aarogyasri list, and for an eligible Telangana family the operation and standard chemotherapy are given cashless at a network hospital once the scheme approves each admission. This page explains which parts of treatment the card pays for, what families usually pay for themselves, how to open a case at the scheme desk, and what to ask before you travel. At CION Cancer Clinics, we explain costs in writing and help families from across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh plan treatment in Hyderabad.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Does Aarogyasri cover colon cancer treatment?
- Which parts of colon cancer treatment does Aarogyasri pay for?
- What would the same treatment cost without the card?
- How do I get colon cancer treatment under Aarogyasri?
- Three things families get wrong about the card
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about Aarogyasri and colon cancer
The short answer
Does Aarogyasri cover colon cancer treatment?
Yes. Colon cancer is on the Aarogyasri list, and for an eligible Telangana family the operation and standard chemotherapy are given cashless at a network hospital. The hospital asks the scheme for approval before each planned step, and the scheme pays the hospital directly. You should not be handed a bill for anything inside an approved package.
What the card is built for
Aarogyasri was designed for serious illness that needs a hospital admission, and cancer is one of its largest groups. Diagnosis, surgery to remove the tumour, chemotherapy after surgery and some follow-up medicine after discharge all sit inside the scheme. Routine clinic visits and tests done outside an admission usually do not. Since the state joined its scheme with Ayushman Bharat, one network and one desk handle both cards, and the family limit was raised.
Where the gaps usually are
The newer medicines used when colon cancer has spread, including most targeted therapy and immunotherapy, are often outside the list or approved only in narrow situations. Stoma bags bought at home, travel to Hyderabad and the cost of a carer's lost wages are never covered. How the packages themselves are built and approved is explained in how Aarogyasri colorectal packages work.
The scheme pays for listed treatment. It does not decide which treatment is right for you. That is your oncologist's job.Inside and outside
Which parts of colon cancer treatment does Aarogyasri pay for?
Think of it in three groups: what is almost always covered, what depends on approval, and what you will pay for yourself.
Almost always covered
The admission for colectomy, meaning removal of the part of the colon carrying the tumour, with the stay, the surgeon, the anaesthetist and routine medicines. Emergency surgery for a blocked bowel is also on the list.
Usually included in the admission
- Blood tests and scans done during the stay
- Pathology on the removed tumour
- A short course of discharge medicines
Covered with approval
Adjuvant chemotherapy, the course given after surgery to lower the chance of the cancer returning, is on the list as day-care cycles. Each block of cycles is a separate request, and the hospital must be empanelled for medical oncology, not only for surgery.
Ask the desk before each block whether the next cycles have been approved.Usually paid by the family
Colonoscopy done privately before you reach a network hospital, molecular tests on the tumour, stoma supplies at home, most targeted therapy and immunotherapy, and anything done at a hospital outside the network. If a step is refused, read financial help for colon cancer before you borrow.
Indicative cost
What would the same treatment cost without the card?
These are 2026 Hyderabad self-pay estimates. They are not Aarogyasri package rates, which this page does not quote. They show what the scheme is protecting you from, and what an uncovered step may cost.
₹6,000 – ₹15,000
Diagnostic colonoscopy and biopsy
Often paid privately before the scheme case is opened.
₹5,000 – ₹12,000
Staging CT of chest, abdomen and pelvis
The scan that shows whether the cancer has spread.
₹15,000 – ₹60,000
Molecular profiling
MSI, RAS, BRAF and HER2 tests on the tumour, mostly outside the scheme.
₹1,80,000 – ₹3,50,000
Laparoscopic colectomy
The operation itself, at a partner hospital.
₹1,80,000 – ₹4,50,000
Adjuvant chemotherapy, full course
About six months of FOLFOX or CAPOX, where advised.
Indicative only. Under an approved Aarogyasri package the scheme pays the hospital, so a covered family's own cost is usually far below these figures. Package rates and the family limit are set and revised by the state, and the only reliable number is the one on your approval. Call the helpline to ask what may fall outside your cover.
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Step by step
How do I get colon cancer treatment under Aarogyasri?
Check the card
Eligibility comes mainly from the white ration card, which the family's Aarogyasri record is linked to. Bring that, Aadhaar for the patient, and every report you already have: colonoscopy, biopsy and any scan.
Go to a network hospital
Treatment must happen at a hospital on the scheme's network, and the hospital must be empanelled for the specialty you need. Ask at the door whether they are listed for both surgical and medical oncology.
Meet the Aarogyasri Mithra
Every network hospital has a scheme desk. The Mithra checks the card, registers the case and uploads the reports. If a test is missing, the hospital usually does it during the admission.
Wait for pre-authorisation
The hospital sends the diagnosis and the plan to the scheme and waits for approval before a planned operation. Emergencies can start first and be approved after. Ask for the approval reference and keep it.
Discharge and follow-up
Keep the discharge summary, the pathology report and the scheme papers together in one folder. The next step, usually chemotherapy, needs them for its own approval.
Commonly believed
Three things families get wrong about the card
"Private hospitals do not take Aarogyasri, so we have to go to a government one."
Many private hospitals are on the network, though each is empanelled for particular specialties and some packages are kept for government hospitals. The right question is not public or private. It is whether that hospital can book your step under the scheme. The surgical side is set out in colectomy scheme and insurance cover.
"Once the card is approved, the whole treatment is paid for."
Approval is given one admission at a time, against a yearly family limit shared by everyone on the card. A long course of chemotherapy can use a large part of it. If the limit is reached before treatment ends, read if the money runs out mid-treatment early, not late.
"Chemotherapy is not covered, only the operation."
Standard chemotherapy for colon cancer is on the list and is given as day-care cycles with its own approval. What is often outside the list is the newer, costlier medicine used once the cancer has spread. Your oncologist can tell you which group your plan falls into.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your own family is eligible, how much of the family limit is left, or what a given package pays. Those figures are set by the state and revised, and the only version that counts is the one the hospital desk sees on the day. Ask the Aarogyasri Mithra, and ask for the answer in writing.
Whether a hospital will accept the card for your step
Empanelment is by specialty, and it changes. A hospital that did your father's hernia under the scheme may not be listed for cancer surgery. CION's surgical oncologists plan the operation and it is carried out at an accredited partner hospital, so call the CION helpline before you travel and ask whether the step you need can be booked under your card at a CION centre or a partner hospital.
Who this page is not for
If the cancer is in the rectum, the packages differ and usually include radiation, so start at the rectal cancer hub. Families in Andhra Pradesh use NTR Vaidya Seva instead. Families on the national list, or with a member aged seventy or over, should also read colon cancer under Ayushman Bharat. Central government employees and pensioners usually have their own scheme.
A refused package is not a refused treatment. Ask what was refused and why before you decide anything.Questions we are asked
Common questions about Aarogyasri and colon cancer
Is colon cancer surgery free under Aarogyasri?
For an eligible family, the approved admission is cashless, meaning the scheme pays the hospital and you are not billed for what sits inside the package. Items outside it, such as a private room upgrade or an unlisted implant, can still be charged. Ask for anything you are asked to pay in writing first.
Do we need a referral letter to use the card?
Usually the case is opened at the network hospital itself, through its scheme desk, using the card and your reports. Some hospitals ask for a referral from a government health centre for planned admissions. Ring the hospital desk before you travel from the district and ask exactly what to bring.
Will the card pay for the colonoscopy that finds the cancer?
Often it is paid privately, because most people have the colonoscopy before any scheme case exists. Once you are admitted to a network hospital, tests needed for that admission are inside the package. If no colonoscopy has been done, ask the hospital whether it can be booked under the scheme.
Can we use Aarogyasri at a CION centre?
Call the helpline and tell us which card you hold and which step you need. CION gives chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy at its centres, and surgery is planned by CION's surgical oncologists and carried out at an accredited partner hospital. We will tell you what can be booked under your card and where.
What if the approval is refused?
Ask the desk for the reason in writing. Common reasons are a missing report, a hospital not empanelled for that specialty, or a medicine that is not on the list. Many refusals are fixed by resubmitting with the right papers. If the treatment itself is unlisted, your oncologist can say whether a listed option works.
Are targeted therapy and immunotherapy covered?
Often not, or only in narrow situations. These medicines are used mainly when colon cancer has spread, and they cost far more per cycle than standard chemotherapy. Ask your oncologist whether a listed alternative exists, and ask about manufacturer assistance programmes before you decide to pay privately.
Does the card cover stoma bags after surgery?
The bags used in hospital are part of the admission. Bags and supplies bought for home over the following months are generally not covered, and this is one of the costs families do not expect. Ask the stoma nurse at the partner hospital about lower-cost suppliers before you leave.
Can we get a second opinion and still use the scheme?
Yes. A consultation outside an approved admission is usually paid separately, and it does not affect your card. CION's oncologists give second opinions at every centre. Bring the biopsy, the scans and the proposed plan, and they will tell you whether the plan fits your stage before you commit.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Your Specialists
Meet CION's colon cancer specialists. Bring your colonoscopy, scan or biopsy report.
Our surgical and medical oncologists plan colon cancer care together: which operation, whether chemotherapy is needed, and the follow-up that comes after.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. One helpline books a consultation at any of these centres, and your team will tell you where each test and operation takes place.
Warangal
Vizag
Sources
- National Cancer Institute — Managing Cancer Costs and Medical Information
- IRDAI — Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
- American Cancer Society — Colon Cancer Treatment, by Stage
- National Cancer Institute — Colon Cancer Treatment
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
How Aarogyasri colorectal packages workPackages, approvals and the desk, step by stepColon cancer under Ayushman BharatThe national scheme that now runs alongside AarogyasriIf the money runs out mid-treatmentWhen the family limit is used up before treatment endsFree and subsidised colon cancer treatment in TelanganaEvery low-cost route in the state, in one place
Talk to us
Not sure whether your card covers the next step?
Tell us which card your family holds and where you are in treatment. We will tell you what can be booked under it at a CION centre or a partner hospital, and what to ask the scheme desk. One helpline serves every CION centre.