Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Feeding tube supplies and what they cost | CION Cancer Clinics
The running cost of a feeding tube at home comes mostly from the feed, not the tube. On top of that come syringes, dressings, an extension set or pump if used, and a replacement tube from time to time. The monthly total varies widely with the feed, the brand and how much goes through the tube, so ask for a written estimate. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or insurance may cover part of it. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What does a feeding tube cost to run at home?
- What supplies will you need regularly?
- What pushes the monthly cost up or down?
- What do Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and insurance usually cover?
- Which money-saving ideas can cause harm?
- How can you plan the cost before you go home?
- Where can you save safely, and where should you not?
- Common questions about feeding tube supplies and cost
The short answer
What does a feeding tube cost to run at home?
The biggest regular cost is usually the feed, not the tube. Syringes, dressings and other supplies add a smaller but steady amount, and a replacement tube is needed from time to time.
Why this page gives no price list
Feed and supply prices change with the brand, the pharmacy and the month. A figure written here would soon be out of date, and it would not match your own feeding plan. Ask the hospital pharmacy or your dietitian to price the exact list you are sent home with. That estimate is worth far more than any number found online.
Where placing the tube fits in
Putting the tube in is a hospital procedure, billed with your treatment and often covered by schemes and insurance. This page is about what comes after, once you are feeding at home.
Who tends to spend less
If you eat most of your food by mouth and the tube only tops up, feed costs fall. Some families with a settled, wide tube use home blends for part of the day. That suits only some tubes, and your dietitian decides.
Your shopping list
What supplies will you need regularly?
- Feed, either a commercial formula or a home blend your dietitian has approved
- Large feeding syringes, replaced as they wear
- An extension set, if the tube is a button type
- Giving sets and a pump, only if feeds run by pump
- Gauze, tape and a mild soap for the skin around the tube
- Boiled, cooled water for flushing, kept in a clean covered container
- A replacement tube of the right type and size, when one is due
- A small emergency kit with a dressing and the tube card
What moves the monthly figure
What pushes the monthly cost up or down?
Four things make most of the difference between one family's spend and another's.
The feed
How much feed you buy depends on how much of your nutrition comes through the tube. Special feeds, for example for diabetes or kidney problems, often cost more than standard ones.
Ask the dietitian
- Whether a standard feed suits you
- How much you need each day
Pump or syringe
A pump needs single-use giving sets, which add up. Many people can feed by syringe or gravity instead. The team decides on safety grounds, not price alone, so ask whether syringe feeding is an option.
Replacement tubes
Balloon tubes need changing from time to time, and each new tube and its fitting is billed. A PEG usually lasts longer. Ask how often yours is likely to need changing.
Travel and nursing
For families in the districts, trips to Hyderabad for tube changes, or paid home nursing visits, can cost more than the supplies. Ask whether changes can be done nearer home.
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Schemes and insurance
What do Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and insurance usually cover?
Placing or replacing a tube in hospital, as part of cancer treatment, is often covered. Feeds and supplies used at home are covered less often, and the rules differ between schemes and policies.
Government schemes
With Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS, cover depends on the treatment package and on whether an item is billed during the hospital stay. Some feed given at discharge may be included. Ask the scheme desk before you leave hospital, not after you have bought a month of supplies.
Cashless insurance
Cashless cover usually applies to the hospital stay. Feeds and consumables bought afterwards are often excluded unless your policy includes outpatient cover. Keep every prescription and bill, because a reimbursement claim needs them.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your own card or policy covers. That depends on the scheme, the package and the exact items prescribed.
Call the helpline with your card or policy details and we will check your cover before you buy.Commonly believed
Which money-saving ideas can cause harm?
"The most expensive feed must be the strongest."
A standard feed suits most people. Special feeds are for particular medical reasons, such as diabetes or kidney problems. Paying more does not help if your body does not need what the special feed adds.
"We can reuse syringes until they break."
Worn syringes stick, measure badly and are hard to clean, so germs build up inside. Wash them properly after each use and replace them as often as your team advises.
"A cheaper tube bought online is the same thing."
A replacement must match the type and size of the opening, and it should be fitted by the team. The wrong tube can leak or fall out. Buy only what has been prescribed.
"Home blends cost nothing."
They need a good blender, fresh food, time and sometimes added supplements. They do not suit new or thin tubes. For some families they save money, and for others they do not.
Planning ahead
How can you plan the cost before you go home?
Get a written list
Before discharge, ask for every item in writing: the feed, its brand, how much per day, and each supply. Photograph it so the whole family has a copy.
Ask for an estimate
The hospital pharmacy or dietitian can price that list for you. Compare it with a local pharmacy for exactly the same item and brand, not a lookalike.
Check cover before buying
Speak to the scheme desk or your insurer first. Keep every prescription and bill together in one folder for any claim.
Review as eating changes
As eating by mouth grows, the feed you need falls. Tell the dietitian, so you are not buying more than you use.
Side by side
Where can you save safely, and where should you not?
Often a safe saving
Not worth the risk
Buying feed in larger packs you will use before expiry
Watering feed down to make it last longer
Boiled and cooled water for flushing
Skipping flushes to save time or water
Feeding by syringe, if the team agrees
Stopping the pump on your own to save giving sets
Asking about another brand of the same feed type
Switching feeds without asking the dietitian
Questions we are asked
Common questions about feeding tube supplies and cost
How much does a PEG tube cost per month in India?
There is no single figure. The feed is usually the main cost, and it depends on how much comes through the tube and which feed is prescribed. Supplies and tube changes add to that. Ask for a written estimate against your own plan, because figures online are not a quote for you.
Is the feed the most expensive part?
Usually, when the tube supplies most of your nutrition. As eating by mouth returns, the amount of feed falls and so does the cost. For families travelling from the districts, trips for tube changes can also be a large share.
Do we have to buy a feeding pump?
Not always. Many people feed by syringe or gravity. A pump is used when feed must run slowly, such as overnight or into the small bowel. If one is needed, ask whether it can be borrowed or rented rather than bought.
How often does the tube need replacing?
It depends on the type. Balloon tubes are usually changed more often than PEG tubes, which can last a long time with good care. Your team will tell you when yours is due, so it can be planned rather than done in a hurry.
Can we buy supplies from any pharmacy?
Standard items such as gauze and syringes, yes, as long as they are the same type. Tubes and extension sets must match the exact type and size. Keep the packaging or a photo of the label to show the pharmacist.
Does Aarogyasri cover feeds at home?
It depends on the package. Hospital care linked to cancer treatment is often covered. Feeds used at home vary. Ask the Aarogyasri desk before discharge what is included, and keep your prescriptions, since the answer may change with the treatment plan.
Are home blends cheaper than commercial feed?
Sometimes, but only for a settled, wide tube and a recipe your dietitian has approved. Blends take time, a good blender and careful hygiene. They are not suitable for new or thin tubes, or during very low blood counts.
Can the helpline help us with costs?
Yes. We can explain an estimate, check what your scheme or insurance covers, and ask the dietitian to review the feeding plan if cost is becoming hard to manage. Call before you buy a large stock of anything.
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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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
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- NICE — Nutrition support for adults (CG32)
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ) - Patient Version
- Cancer Research UK — Diet problems with cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Impacts of cancer: eating and drinking
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
Commercial feeds vs home blends: cost and safetyWhich feed suits your tube and your budgetBlending Indian food for a feeding tubeHow to make a safe home blendFeeding through the tube at homeThe daily routine the supplies are forCost, insurance and schemes for cancer surgeryHow Aarogyasri, CGHS and insurance work
Talk to us
Worried about the cost of feeds and supplies?
Call the helpline. We can check what your scheme or insurance covers and ask a dietitian to review the plan. One helpline serves every CION centre.