Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Interim Budget for FY-2024-25. The Finance Minister announced the government’s plans to bolster the health sector, with a special focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her Interim Budget 2024.
Cervical cancer is a significant health concern in India, ranking as the country’s second most common cancer among women (after breast cancer), constituting 10% of all female cancers.
Challenges in timely diagnosis and treatment contribute to its high mortality rate, with India accounting for more than one in five of these cervical cancer cases and deaths. Every year, approximately 77,348 women in the country succumb to cervical cancer. The lack of widespread screening and treatment infrastructure leads to lower detection rates than compared to global standards.
In her final budget presentation before the general elections, Finance Minister Sitharaman outlined a series of economic and social initiatives aimed at benefiting key demographic groups such as women. She also reviewed the Modi government’s achievements over the last decade, positioning these efforts as part of a strategic plan towards achieving a developed India by 2047, known as “Vikshit Bharat.”
Last month, the Union Health Ministry announced it is closely tracking cervical cancer occurrences within India, maintaining consistent communication with state-level and other health departments to address this concern.
In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) outlined a comprehensive strategy, the 90-70-90 Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy Target to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, focusing on three key goals: achieving a 90% vaccination rate against HPV for girls by age 15, screening 70% of women using effective tests by the ages of 35 and 45, and ensuring 90% of those diagnosed receive appropriate treatment. This initiative highlights the critical role of the HPV vaccine in preventing the precancerous conditions that can lead to cervical cancer.
In June 2022, following new insights into the disease burden and the effectiveness of a single HPV vaccine dose, along with data from clinical trials and Sikkim’s vaccination experience, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization recommended including the HPV vaccine in the universal immunization program. This plan includes a one-off catch-up for girls aged 9-14, with routine administration starting at nine, as informed to the Rajya Sabha in March.
Currently, Serum Institute’s CERVAVAC, India’s vaccine for cervical cancer, is sold in the private sector at approximately Rs 2,000 per dose. Concurrently, MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, part of Merck Sharp and Dohme (Merck and Co, Inc in North America), offers its Gardasil 4 HPV vaccine in India, priced around Rs 3,927 per dose.
While presenting the budget, she also highlighted that the government’s priority to adequately and timely finance MSMEs and announced the extension of health care cover under Ayushman Bharat to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers. The announcement also covered the integration of various maternal and child health schemes into a unified program, aiming for more cohesive and effective implementation.
The Finance Minister also announced multiple other health-related schemes in her speech, an upgradation of Anganwadi centres and expedited nutrition delivery and steps for early childhood care. “The Government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilizing the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments. A committee for this purpose will be set-up to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations”, she said.
