BENGALURU: To combat cervical cancer, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced a targeted immunisation drive in Kalyana Karnataka’s five districts, to vaccinate all 14-year-old girls free of cost. The initiative, announced on Wednesday, will be continued annually for girls turning 14 in these districts to eliminate cervical cancer — the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer.
The announcement was made at the event titled ‘Cervical Cancer Elimination Movement — From Awareness to Action’, which aims at a ‘Cervical cancer-free Karnataka’. The event marked a major step in the state’s fight against the preventable disease and brought together healthcare leaders, policy makers and key organisations, including the Karnataka State Obstetrics and Gynaecologists Association.
Gundu Rao said the government is evaluating a proposal submitted by ARTIST for Her, to improve the capabilities of obstetrics and gynaecologists, and other organisations, to expand the vaccination drive to Chikkaballapur district. ARTIST (Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer) for Her is an institute working on women’s healthcare.
“We are assessing how we can expand vaccination coverage. Those screened and diagnosed will have a 90% treatment success rate,” said Gundu Rao, emphasizing that the proposal does not impose a financial burden on the state, and the government is committed to contributing and ensuring effective implementation.
The minister noted that many women hesitate to come forward for diagnosis and to tackle this, the state has conducted health camps through the Gruha Arogya scheme, screening over 10,000 women to raise awareness and encourage them to undergo health checks at sub-centres. He urged more women to participate in screenings, not just for cervical and breast cancer, but for 15 other critical health conditions.
On the progress so far, Gundu Rao said over 4,560 girls have already been vaccinated, and 1,500 women have been screened. He was confident that the Chikkaballapur initiative could serve as a model for expanding the programme statewide. “We will assess its impact and expedite the rollout across Karnataka,” he added.
Dr Hema Divakar, Division Director of Well Women Health Care at the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Figo), emphasised the role of ARTIST for Her in research and training programmes that equip healthcare professionals with specialised expertise.