The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) on Monday said that it has asked the central government to include the HPV vaccine in the National Programme to reduce the burden of cervical cancer.
According to the association, cervical cancer is rapidly overtaking maternal mortality as the major preventable cause of death and suffering among Indian women.
Although cervical cancer is entirely preventable with the HPV vaccine and regular screening, it continues to kill more than 77,000 women in India every year.
FOGSI organized an Expert Group Meeting at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on the theme of ‘Accelerating Action for Cervical Cancer Mukt Bharat.’
The event was held under the leadership of Dr. Shantha Kumari, President, FOGSI, and Dr. Neerja Bhatla, Head, Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, AIIMS, Delhi. Among the prominent attendees invited by FOGSI were Dr. VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, and Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India. The experts spoke about the Government’s efforts to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer from the country.
According to experts, cervical cancer, which occurs due to infection by the high-risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), is a major health challenge faced by Indian women.
An estimated 1,20,000 women in the country develop cervical cancer each year, leading to more than 77,000 deaths in the same period. Around 453 million Indian women aged 15 years and above are at risk of developing cervical cancer.
“So much morbidity and mortality due to cervical cancer is needless. What begins as mild dysplasia takes 10 to 20 years to turn into cervical cancer. This long progression makes the disease entirely preventable. What is needed is regular screening to detect pre-cancerous lesions for early diagnosis treated in a timely manner to prevent their progression into cancer. Yet just screening is not enough. We also require widespread immunization with the HPV vaccine. This can prevent most cases of cervical cancer, and other cancers caused by HPV, if given to women and girls before they get exposed to the virus. We at FOGSI and other like-minded associations would like to see the Government of India include the HPV vaccine in the National Programme,” Dr. Shantha Kumari, President, FOGSI, said in a statement.
During the event, she also said that the aim of organising this Expert Group Meeting at AIIMS is to bring out a White Paper addressing the Indian sociocultural diversity and the practical challenges and solutions for implementing the goal of the Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative in India.
“FOGSI would like to present the White Paper to the Government and policymakers to encourage a review of the prevention strategy for cervical cancer and early implementation of HPV vaccine at the national level, which would impact the lives of millions of women and their families,” she added.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with organisations like the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO), Asia Oceania Research Organization on Genital Infections and Neoplasia India), ISCCP (Indian Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (AOGIN-India) and Association of Gynaecologic Oncologists of India (AGOI).
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