Cervical cancer screening has reached a significant milestone in the country, with a total of 4.71 crore women having been screened, according to the National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal. This information was provided by Minister of State for Health Pratap Jadhav in Lok Sabha during a written response to a question. Additionally, Jadhav noted that the government is not currently considering a transition from Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) to HPV DNA testing for cervical cancer screening.
Screening for common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including prevalent cancers such as oral, breast, and cervical, is a key component of service delivery under the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Minister of State for Health Pratap Jadhav stated. As of July 9, 2024, a total of 1,73,546 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been operational across India.
"As per National NCD portal, 4.71 crore women have been screened for cervical cancer," he said. In June, 2022 the National Technical Advisory Group on immunization (NTAGI) had recommended the introduction of HPV vaccine in the Universal Immunization Program for girls in the age group of 9 to 14.
The Union Health Ministry offers technical and financial support to states and Union Territories under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), which is part of the National Health Mission (NHM). This support is provided based on proposals received from the states and UTs, and is contingent on the available resource envelope.