Modi announces USD 7.5 million for cervical cancer fight at QUAD cancer moonshot event

Wilmington, Delaware: During the Cancer Moonshot event in Delaware on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's commitment to health with a vision of ‘One Earth, One Health.’ He announced a USD 7.5 million support package for sampling kits, detection kits, and vaccines to help countries combat cervical cancer.

Modi emphasised India's efforts in fighting this disease and offered to share the country's experience and knowledge. He called for an "integrated approach of prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment" to lessen the impact of cancer.

The Cancer Moonshot is a White House initiative aimed at enhancing the fight against cancer through collaboration among federal agencies, private companies, healthcare providers, and community organisations.

"I want to thank President Biden for organising this event. This reflects our shared determination to provide affordable, accessible and quality health care. During the COVID pandemic, we had taken the Quad Vaccine initiative for the Indo-Pacific and I am glad that in the Quad, we have decided to jointly tackle challenges like cervical cancer. In cancer care, collaboration is essential for cure," PM Modi said.

"An integrated approach of prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment is necessary to reduce the burden of cancer. In India, a very cost-effective cervical cancer screening program is being carried out," he added.

The Prime Minister mentioned that India has developed its own cervical cancer vaccine and is introducing new treatment methods using artificial intelligence. He also pointed out that a cost-effective screening program is currently underway in India.

"Along with this, India is running the world's largest health insurance scheme and special centres have also been set up to make medicines available to everyone at affordable cost. India has also developed its own vaccine for cervical cancer and new treatment protocols are also being introduced with the help of Artificial Intelligence," the Prime Minister said.

"India is ready to share its experience and expertise. Today, many experts from India working in cancer care have joined us in this event. India's vision is One Earth One Health. I announce the support of sampling kits, detection kits and vaccines worth USD 7.5 million," he added.

In addition, Modi announced India's commitment to support radiotherapy treatment and capacity building, pledging 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries through the GAVI and QUAD initiatives.

"India will also cooperate in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building. I am happy that India will contribute 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries under GAVI and QUAD initiatives. These 40 million vaccine doses will become a ray of hope in the lives of crores of people. As you can see when the QUAD acts, it is not just for nations. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," PM Modi further stated.

The Cancer Moonshot has led to significant action from the US government and various sectors, with over 95 new programs and collaborations announced to tackle five key areas of focus. A wide range of organisations, including 170 private companies and nonprofits, have joined in to support these efforts.

Earlier, the US Embassy in New Delhi hosted the first US-India Cancer Moonshot Dialogue on August 5-6, focusing on strengthening biomedical research cooperation and developing joint solutions to improve global health.

Agency