Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a landmark healthcare initiative, the Government of Goa has rolled out the Pricing Policy for Innovative Lifesaving Therapies (PPILT) — the first such framework in India — aimed at making advanced, high-cost treatments more affordable for patients battling cancer, rare genetic disorders, and other complex diseases.
The announcement was made during a Continuing Medical Education (CME) event on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in early lung cancer detection. Under the policy, the State will enter into confidential, outcome-linked pricing agreements with pharmaceutical innovators, allowing procurement of cutting-edge therapies at significantly reduced costs. The rollout will begin with lung cancer treatment.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the move was crucial to improving health equity: “Innovative therapies for diseases like cancer, rare genetic disorders, and autoimmune conditions can cost upwards of ₹50 lakh per year. Goa’s adoption of this pricing policy is a vital and timely step to ensure that once diseases are detected early, patients can access advanced therapies without prohibitive costs.”
Since 2024, Goa has embedded AI technology into its public healthcare network across 18 government hospitals and health centres in partnership with Qure.ai and AstraZeneca. Using Qure.ai’s qXR AI solution, over 70,000 chest X-rays have been screened, identifying more than 6,000 pulmonary nodules and flagging over 500 individuals at high risk for lung cancer. Early diagnoses have already led to timely treatment, saving lives and reducing costs.
Prashant Warier, CEO and Founder of Qure.ai, said the collaboration proved that “digital transformation can start with AI as the foundation” and that Goa’s new pricing policy “addresses the next critical step” in patient care.
Proposed by the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), the framework is expected to encourage both global and Indian pharmaceutical companies to introduce novel therapies in Goa, creating a sustainable model for public health innovation.
