On Wednesday, Swati Maliwal, the chair of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), sent a notification to the federal government pleading with it to provide free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccinations to protect women from cervical cancer.
She requested a comprehensive report on the situation in her notice to the director general of Health Services (DGHS). She enquired as to why HPV vaccines had not yet been incorporated into India’s Universal Immunisation Programme. Maliwal also inquired about the status of any proposal that had been made to incorporate HPV vaccinations into the programme.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is now running programmes and programmes to raise awareness about HPV vaccinations and cervical cancer. The DGHS has also been asked to provide information about the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s initiatives to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in India.
According to data provided by the DCW, cervical cancer is the main reason why women in India die from cancer. Over 75,000 people die and 1.25 lakh new cases are detected every year.
Swati Maliwal, in her notice, said, ‘The country is witnessing over 75,000 cases of cervical cancer each year. 21% of total deaths in world, due to cervical cancer are from India, which is at an alarming level. The disease can be diagnosed through routine screening and administration of the vaccine for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection which is majorly responsible for this disease.’
‘However, this vaccine is costly and needs to be provided to women and girls for free. The Central government should look into the matter and make efforts for easy availability of HPV vaccine to women and girls at large. HPV vaccination is of public health importance and should be a priority for our country,’ she added.
According to research in The Lancet Global Health, India is home to 23% of cervical cancer incidences worldwide and 21% of the deaths caused by the disease.
According to the study, frequent screening and vaccination can help prevent the HPV infection, which is mostly to blame for cervical cancer.
It was mentioned that a 10-year schoolgirl vaccine programme in the UK led to a 90% decrease in cervical cancer incidence. The expense of the HPV vaccine, however, is unaffordable for many in India.
According to information, the cost of the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines, which each require a minimum of three doses, is Rs 2,800 and Rs 3,299 per dose, respectively. Accordingly, the cost of vaccinating a girl in India against cervical cancer would range from Rs 8,400 to Rs 9,897, which is a large amount for the majority of families.
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