New Delhi: With an aim to contribute to the efforts of making cancer treatment accessible and affordable, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s commitment of $7.5 million to the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative. The fund will be utilized for cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad Cancer Moonshot is a joint initiative of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan to enhance healthcare infrastructure, foster research partnerships, and expand access to cancer prevention and diagnosis across the region.
Highlighting India’s key healthcare advancements at the event, PM Modi remarked that the country is undertaking a mass cervical cancer screening program and has also developed a cervical cancer vaccine. The Serum Institute of India (SII) in partnership with GAVI is supporting the procurement of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses for the Indo-Pacific, thereby strengthening India’s role in this global health initiative. In addition, the PM also informed that India is working on an artificial intelligence-based treatment technology for cervical cancer. Furthermore, under the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative on Digital Health, India will contribute to the Indo-Pacific region’s health infrastructure by offering technical assistance through its National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal.
The current initiative is expected to address disparities in cancer care across the Indo-Pacific region through vaccination, screening, and improving access to treatment.