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CION Cancer Clinics
Having a craniotomy under Aarogyasri | CION Cancer Clinics
Aarogyasri covers brain tumour surgery, including a craniotomy, for eligible families in Telangana. Treatment is cashless at empanelled hospitals once the scheme approves the operation. You need your family card, Aadhaar and your scan reports at the hospital help desk. This page explains who is usually eligible, what the package tends to include, how approval works in planned and urgent cases, and what to check so nothing delays surgery. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Does Aarogyasri cover brain surgery?
- What does Aarogyasri usually pay for in brain surgery?
- How does Aarogyasri approval work for a planned craniotomy?
- What is usually covered, and what should you check?
- What happens if brain surgery is needed urgently?
- What do families wrongly believe about Aarogyasri and brain surgery?
- What if you are not eligible for Aarogyasri?
- Common questions about brain surgery under Aarogyasri
The short answer
Does Aarogyasri cover brain surgery?
Yes. Brain surgery for a tumour, including a craniotomy, is included in the Aarogyasri scheme for eligible families in Telangana. It is cashless at empanelled hospitals, but the hospital must get approval from the scheme for the operation.
Who is usually eligible
Aarogyasri is meant for families holding a valid Telangana food security card, often called the white ration card, or an Aarogyasri card. The patient's name must be on the family card. The state sets the rules and a yearly limit per family, and both can change. Confirm the current position at the hospital help desk.
What approval means for you
The hospital sends your scans and reports to the scheme and asks permission to operate under a listed package. Once approved, the operation, the ICU and ward stay and many related costs are covered. Approval is not a promise that every item will be paid, so ask what falls outside the package.
This page cannot confirm your eligibility or current package limits. Only the scheme and the hospital help desk can do that for your case.What the package includes
What does Aarogyasri usually pay for in brain surgery?
Packages are fixed by the scheme for each procedure. These are the parts families most often ask about.
The operation
The neurosurgeon, theatre and anaesthesia for the approved procedure, and the plates that fix the bone back in place.
ICU and ward stay
Close watching in the ICU after surgery, then a general ward bed, nursing care, medicines, dressings and food during the stay.
Tests during admission
Tests needed for the approved operation, including the scan after surgery and the pathology report on the tissue removed.
Ask separately about
- An MRI done before registration
- Extra tumour marker tests
Follow-up after discharge
Many packages include follow-up visits and medicines for a period after discharge. Ask the help desk how long yours covers and what to bring.
Step by step
How does Aarogyasri approval work for a planned craniotomy?
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Go to the Aarogyasri help desk
Every empanelled hospital has a help desk run by an Aarogyamithra, a scheme coordinator. They register you and explain what happens next.
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Bring the documents
Your food security card or Aarogyasri card, Aadhaar for the patient, and every medical report, especially the MRI or CT scan and its written report.
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See the neurosurgeon
The surgeon examines you, looks at the scans and decides what operation is needed. Some tests may be done to check you are fit for anaesthesia.
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The hospital requests approval
Your details and reports go to the scheme online. Approval is often quick when the paperwork is complete. Missing reports are the usual cause of delay.
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Surgery and discharge
After approval the operation is scheduled. At discharge you receive a summary and instructions for follow-up under the scheme.
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Check before admission
What is usually covered, and what should you check?
Usually covered
Worth checking in advance
The approved brain operation
A second operation or a drain for fluid
ICU and general ward stay
A private room or upgrade
Medicines and dressings during the stay
Scans done before registration
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy under separate approvals
Travel, lodging and food for the family
When it cannot wait
What happens if brain surgery is needed urgently?
Some people arrive very unwell, drowsy or after a fit, and the neurosurgeon decides the operation cannot wait. Emergency care should not be held up for paperwork.
Tell the help desk at once
Ask a family member to go to the Aarogyasri help desk as soon as the patient is admitted. Emergency cases can usually be registered after admission, with approval requested alongside treatment. The Aarogyamithra can explain the steps for your case.
Bring documents as soon as you can
If you rushed in without the family card or Aadhaar, ask a relative to bring them, or send clear photos first. Delays in documents can make approval harder later.
Who this route does not suit
Emergency registration is for real emergencies decided by the doctors. It is not a way to skip steps for a planned operation. If your surgery is planned, follow the usual process so nothing is refused afterwards.
Commonly believed
What do families wrongly believe about Aarogyasri and brain surgery?
"Aarogyasri patients get a lesser operation."
The operation is decided by your scans and your health, not by how it is paid for. Ask the neurosurgeon the same questions any patient would ask.
"We must pay first and claim the money back later."
Aarogyasri is cashless at empanelled hospitals. You should not be asked to pay for items inside the approved package. If you are, ask the Aarogyamithra to explain.
"Only the operation is covered, so radiotherapy will be unaffordable."
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer are also in the scheme, under their own approvals. Ask about them before you assume the rest of treatment must be paid privately.
"If the card is not ready, surgery has to wait."
Do not simply wait. Ask the help desk what other proof of eligibility is accepted, and ask the surgeon whether waiting is safe. Pressure in the brain can worsen with time.
If Aarogyasri does not apply
What if you are not eligible for Aarogyasri?
Many families have another way to cover the operation. Check each one before deciding to pay privately.
Other government schemes
Telangana government employees and pensioners are usually covered by EHS, the Employees Health Scheme. Central government employees and pensioners use CGHS. Ex-servicemen and their families use ECHS. Each has its own approval steps and list of hospitals.
Families from Andhra Pradesh and other states
Andhra Pradesh runs its own separate health scheme. A Telangana hospital may or may not be empanelled for it, so ask before you travel. Ask too whether an Ayushman Bharat card from another state is accepted.
Private insurance and paying yourself
Most health insurance policies cover medically needed brain surgery, often cashless. If you have no cover, ask for an itemised written estimate and what might change it. Our team can help you understand the options.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about brain surgery under Aarogyasri
Does Aarogyasri cover a brain biopsy?
Procedures to confirm a brain tumour are often included once you are registered, but the package list decides. Tests done before registration at another centre are usually not reimbursed. Ask the help desk what can be done under the scheme before paying for tests privately.
Is the ICU stay after brain surgery covered?
The ICU stay that normally follows the approved operation is part of the package. If complications keep you there longer, the hospital may need to request more from the scheme. Ask the Aarogyamithra how extra days are handled before the operation.
Will I be asked to pay anything at all?
You should not be charged for items inside the approved package. You may pay for things outside it, such as a room upgrade or items the scheme does not list. Ask for anything payable to be explained before admission, in writing if possible.
What if approval is rejected?
Ask the help desk for the reason. Often it is a missing document or a query that can be answered and sent again. If the case truly falls outside the scheme, ask about EHS, CGHS, ECHS, insurance or an itemised private estimate.
Can we choose any hospital in Hyderabad?
Only hospitals empanelled under Aarogyasri for neurosurgery can treat you under the scheme. The list is available at the scheme office and on its website. Confirm the hospital is empanelled for this operation before you plan the admission.
Is radiotherapy after brain surgery covered?
Radiotherapy for brain cancer is in the scheme under its own approval. Once your oncologist decides it is needed, the hospital applies again. Keep your discharge summary and pathology report safe, because they are needed for the next request.
Are anti-seizure medicines covered after I go home?
Medicines for a period after discharge are often part of the package. After that, you may need to buy them or get them through a follow-up visit. Ask the help desk how long cover lasts, and never stop the tablets because a supply has run out.
We live in a district. Do we need to stay in Hyderabad?
You will need to be at the hospital for the tests, operation and recovery. Travel and lodging for the family are usually not covered. Ask whether follow-up visits can be combined, and whether a centre closer to home is empanelled for later treatment.
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
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
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Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. A surgical consultation can be booked at any of these centres through one helpline, and your team will tell you where the operation itself takes place.
Warangal
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Sources
- Aarogyasri Health Care Trust, Government of Telangana — Aarogyasri scheme
- NHS — Craniotomy
- Cancer Research UK — Brain tumours
- Cancer.Net — Financial Considerations
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.
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