Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Having a mastectomy under Aarogyasri | CION Cancer Clinics
Aarogyasri covers breast cancer surgery, including mastectomy, 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 biopsy report at the hospital help desk. This page explains who is usually eligible, what the package tends to include, how approval works, and what to check so nothing delays your operation. 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 a mastectomy?
- What does Aarogyasri usually pay for?
- How does the Aarogyasri approval process work?
- What is usually covered, and what should you check?
- What do families wrongly believe about Aarogyasri?
- What if you are not eligible for Aarogyasri?
- What can delay approval, and how do you avoid it?
- Common questions about mastectomy under Aarogyasri
The short answer
Does Aarogyasri cover a mastectomy?
Yes. Breast cancer surgery, including mastectomy, 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 before 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 name of the patient must be on the family card. Eligibility rules are set by the state and can change, so confirm yours at the hospital help desk.
What approval means for you
The hospital sends your reports to the scheme and asks permission to do the operation under a listed package. Once approved, the operation, 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 the 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?
Packages are fixed by the scheme for each procedure. These are the parts families most often ask about.
The operation
The surgeon, theatre and anaesthesia for the approved type of mastectomy, including the armpit lymph node surgery that goes with it.
The hospital stay
Your bed in the general ward, nursing care, medicines, drains and dressings while you are admitted, and food during the stay.
Tests during admission
Tests needed for the approved procedure, including the pathology examination of what is removed.
Ask separately about
- Scans done before approval
- Extra tissue 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 you need to bring.
Step by step
How does the Aarogyasri approval process work?
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Go to the Aarogyasri help desk
Every empanelled hospital has a help desk staffed by an Aarogyamithra, a scheme coordinator. They register you and explain the process.
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Bring the documents
Your food security card or Aarogyasri card, Aadhaar for the patient, and every medical report, especially the biopsy report.
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See the surgeon
The surgeon examines you and decides which operation is needed. Some tests may be done to complete the picture.
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The hospital requests approval
Your details and reports are sent to the scheme online. Approval is often quick when the paperwork is complete, but missing reports delay it.
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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 mastectomy and armpit surgery
Reconstruction of the breast at the same time
General ward stay and nursing care
A private room or upgrade
Medicines and dressings during the stay
Tests and scans done before registration
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy under separate approvals
A breast form, bras and travel costs
Commonly believed
What do families wrongly believe about Aarogyasri?
"Aarogyasri patients get a lesser operation."
The operation is decided by your reports, not by how it is paid for. Ask the surgeon the same questions any patient would ask about the type of mastectomy and the armpit surgery.
"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 chemotherapy will be unaffordable."
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer are also included 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, we have to wait for surgery."
Do not simply wait. Ask the help desk what alternative proof of eligibility is accepted, and ask the surgeon whether the timing is safe. Delay can let the cancer grow.
If Aarogyasri does not apply
What if you are not eligible for Aarogyasri?
Many families have another route 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
Andhra Pradesh runs its own separate health scheme with its own rules. A Telangana hospital may or may not be empanelled for it, so ask before you travel.
Private insurance and paying yourself
Most health insurance policies cover mastectomy, often cashless. If you have no cover, ask for a written estimate and what might change it. Our team can help you understand the options.
If your card has lapsed or you recently moved
Families who have moved from another district, or whose ration card details are out of date, sometimes find their eligibility is unclear. Go to the local civil supplies office to correct the card, and tell the hospital help desk at the same time. Do not let the paperwork quietly postpone the operation without asking the surgeon whether that is safe.
Avoiding hold-ups
What can delay approval, and how do you avoid it?
Most delays come from paperwork, not from the scheme refusing the operation. A little preparation saves days.
Missing or unclear reports
The scheme needs proof of the diagnosis, usually the biopsy report. Bring the original and a copy. If the biopsy was done elsewhere, bring the slides or blocks if the hospital asks for them.
Name and card mismatches
The patient's name on the card, Aadhaar and reports should match. A spelling difference can hold up registration. Fix it early at the help desk.
Changes during the operation
Sometimes the surgeon finds more than expected and the operation changes. The hospital may need to update the approval. Ask how this is handled before the day.
What the family can do
Choose one family member to handle the paperwork and keep all reports in a single folder. Keep photocopies of every card and report, and a photo of each on the phone. Note the name of the Aarogyamithra you spoke to. Small steps like these save repeated trips from the district.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about mastectomy under Aarogyasri
Is breast reconstruction covered under Aarogyasri?
This depends on the scheme's current package list and the hospital. Reconstruction may not be included with a standard mastectomy package. Ask the Aarogyamithra and your surgeon before the operation, so you know whether it is covered or whether a breast form is the practical choice.
Can a man have a mastectomy under Aarogyasri?
Yes. Breast cancer surgery is covered for eligible men in the same way as for women. The same documents, help desk process and approval steps apply. Bring the biopsy report and the family card showing the patient's name.
Does Aarogyasri cover a biopsy before the diagnosis?
Some tests needed to confirm cancer may be covered once you are registered under the scheme. Tests done before registration at another centre are usually not reimbursed. Ask the help desk what can be done under the scheme before you pay for tests privately.
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 from the scheme that can be answered and sent again. If the case truly falls outside the scheme, ask about EHS, CGHS, ECHS, insurance or a written private estimate.
Can we choose any hospital in Hyderabad?
Only hospitals empanelled under Aarogyasri for cancer surgery can treat you under the scheme. The list is available at the scheme office and on its website. Confirm empanelment for the specific operation before you plan the admission.
Is radiotherapy after mastectomy also covered?
Radiotherapy for breast cancer is included 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.
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 stay. Travel and lodging for family are usually not covered. Ask whether some 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
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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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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.
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Sources
- Aarogyasri Health Care Trust, Government of Telangana — Aarogyasri scheme
- American Cancer Society — Mastectomy
- Cancer.Net — Financial considerations
- NHS — Mastectomy
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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