Budget 2024: Govt will encourage vaccination for cervical cancer, says FM

As per 2022 estimates, every year, approximately 125,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that the government aims to encourage vaccination for cervical cancer. While presenting the interim Budget 2024, Sitharaman said that the government will encourage vaccinations for cervical cancer among girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years.

Cervical cancer, which arises from the cervix (the lower part of the uterus), is primarily caused by persistent infection with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). It is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide.
 

Also Read: FM Sitharaman's interim Budget extends tax benefits in IFSC till March 2025
 

Cervical cancer rate in India

 

As per GLOBOCAN 2020, cancer of the cervix uteri in India is the third most common cancer, with an incidence rate of 18.3 per cent (123,907 cases). In fact, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death with a mortality rate of 9.1 per cent.
 

According to 2022 estimates, every year, approximately 125,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and over 75 thousand die from the disease in the country. Around 83 per cent of invasive cervical cancers are attributed to HPVs 16 or 18 in India, and 70 per cent of cases worldwide. 

India’s indigenous Cervical cancer vaccine

In September 2022, India rolled out the country’s first locally produced version of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine ‘Cervavac’. This vaccine was indigenously developed by DBT and BIRAC in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Also Read: Where does the Centre receive money from, where does it go?
 

Believing that vaccination is key to preventing cervical cancer in women, the government has undertaken steps to make Cervavac accessible to the population, including incorporating it into the national immunisation program. 
 

Other key announcements for healthcare sector in Interim Budget 2024:

On Thursday, the finance minister announced that the healthcare coverage under Ayushman Bharat will be extended to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers. As of December 27, 2023, around 550 million people belonging to 120 million families were covered under the scheme.
 

In addition to this, the finance minister also stated that the government is planning to set up more medical colleges by using existing hospital infrastructure. ‘A committee for this will be set up to examine and make necessary recommendations,’ the minister had said.