New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, convened India’s first national summit on the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, bringing together government officials, cancer institutions, and public health experts to discuss strategies for prevention, screening, and treatment.
Focus on HPV Vaccination and Screening
Speakers at the summit highlighted the urgent need to scale up HPV vaccination and strengthen screening coverage through high-performance HPV DNA testing, including self-sampling methods. The event emphasized translating policy intent into actionable programs on the ground.
Organisers and Key Themes
The summit was organised jointly by the departments of Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, and DRBRAIRCH at AIIMS. Experts spoke about three pillars of HPV diagnosis and care, and the importance of establishing uniform national standard operating procedures for cervical cancer management.
Government Commitment
Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Managing Director of the National Health Mission (NHM), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer in India. She stressed rapid expansion of HPV vaccination and strengthening screening at all levels to ensure timely access to diagnosis and treatment for every woman.
Evidence-Based Approaches
Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health) at NITI Aayog, called for evidence-based pilot projects to demonstrate scalable models of HPV DNA-based screening and self-sampling at primary healthcare platforms. He emphasised that system-wide alignment and scale are critical to eliminating cervical cancer in India.
Collaborative Approach Needed
Dr. Abhishek Shankar, Assistant Professor at AIIMS, stressed that cervical cancer prevention can no longer be addressed in isolation. He underlined the need to bring together government, clinicians, innovators, and patient advocates to accelerate prevention, early detection, and effective treatment.
Industry Perspective
Vaibhav Kohli, head of Marketing, Access and Commercial Excellence at Roche Diagnostics India, highlighted the role of accurate and accessible screening in ensuring equitable care. He called for industry and public sector collaboration to support nationwide initiatives.
Wide Participation
The summit saw participation from over 500 delegates, including representatives from AIIMS campuses across India, state health departments, cancer institutes, WHO, UNICEF, ICMR, civil society organisations, and industry partners, marking a significant step in India’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.
