Washington, Sep 22 (PTI) To strengthen the fight against cervical cancer, India has pledged a grant of USD 7.5 million to the testing, screening, and diagnosis of the disease in the Indo-Pacific region.
Addressing the Cancer Moonshot event hosted by US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Delaware on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the initiative would go a long way in providing affordable, accessible and quality health care to people in Indo-Pacific countries.
The Quad Cancer Moonshot is a "groundbreaking partnership" to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region by combating cervical cancer. Through the initiative, the Quad countries comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia have committed to work together to address gaps in the cervical cancer care and treatment ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific countries.
As India's contribution to the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Modi announced the dedication of a grant of USD 7.5 million to cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region.
"India is ready to share its experience and expertise," he said, asserting that the grant was made under India's vision of 'One Earth, One Heath'.
The prime minister also announced that India will provide support for radiotherapy treatment and capacity building for cancer prevention in the Indo-Pacific.
He also said that Indo-Pacific countries will be benefiting from the supply of 40 million doses of vaccine from India under GAVI, an international organisation created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world's poorest countries, and QUAD programmes.
"When the Quad acts, it is not just for nations, it is for the people. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," Modi said.
The prime minister also underlined that India has developed a cervical cancer vaccine and is working on an AI-based treatment protocol for the disease.
India has offered technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region on DPI for cancer screening, care and continuum through its USD 10 million contribution to the Global Initiative on Digital Health.
According to a fact sheet issued by the White House on Saturday, the Quad Cancer Moonshot will serve to strengthen the overall cancer-care ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific by improving health infrastructure, expanding research collaborations, building data systems, and providing greater support for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care.
"Cervical cancer, while preventable through vaccination and usually treatable if detected early, remains the third leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the Indo-Pacific region. Fewer than one in 10 women in the Indo-Pacific have completed their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination series, and fewer than 10% have undergone recent screening. Many countries in the region face challenges related to healthcare access, limited resources, and disparities in vaccination rates. Through this initiative, Quad countries will work to address these gaps by promoting HPV vaccination, increasing access to screenings, and expanding treatment options and care in underserved areas," it said.
The Quad countries will work together with United Nations agencies on bulk purchasing of HPV diagnostics to bring down the cost of cervical cancer screening, and work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to improve access to and quality of medical imaging and radiation therapy, the fact sheet said.