Prevention and cure: focus on women

Proposals to promote vaccination of girls aged 9-14 for prevention of cervical cancer, tackle malnutrition among women

- Somrita Ghosh

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman made only a slight increase in fund allocations for the ministries of health and family welfare, as well as women and child development in her interim budget for FY25.

But a key highlight of her budget speech in parliament was the government’s fresh focus on the health of young girls. Sitharaman said that the government will actively promote vaccination of girls aged 9-14 for prevention of cervical cancer. "Our government will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9-14 years for prevention of cervical cancer," she said.

In India, the Serum Institute India (SII) has come up with the country’s first indigenous HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, Cervavac, for protection against cervical cancer. Inclusion of this vaccine in the country’s immunization programme will potentially lower the cost of the drug.