New Delhi, April 23 With 25 per cent of global cervical cancer deaths occurring in India -- often due to late diagnosis -- there is a critical need for preventive screening strategies, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday, adding that the ultimate goal is to position India as a global leader in preventive healthcare.
Dr Singh convened a joint meeting of Department of Biotechnology (DBT), AIIMS New Delhi, BIRAC, ICMR and industry partners here to review the indigenously developed HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening in India and described it as another milestone in preventive healthcare achieved by the DBT, under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
He drew attention to India ranking fourth globally in cervical cancer-related morbidity, underscoring the urgent need for action. He cautioned, however, that HPV is not the sole cause of cervical cancer, but studies have shown a 90 per cent correlation, supporting the case for targeted prevention.
The minister said that the ultimate objective is to enable affordable, accessible, and ideally mass screening for cervical cancer.
The minister said it is now the right time to acknowledge a series of significant milestones accomplished by the team at DBT and BIRAC, including the development of the first-ever DNA vaccine, which brought India international recognition and restored esteem to Indian science in the field of healthcare.
"The DNA vaccine has projected India as a country capable of leading in preventive healthcare — a stark contrast to the outdated perception that India neither prioritized preventive, nor even curative healthcare,” said Dr Singh.
He also referred to Nafithromycin, India’s first indigenous antibiotic, which has received encouraging feedback.
Dr Singh reiterated that the involvement of the private sector is integral to these success stories, highlighting a "whole-of-science and whole-of-government approach."
Another breakthrough cited was the successful gene therapy trial in hemophilia, which earned a spot in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Notably, both the British Medical Journal and NEJM, among the world’s oldest medical journals, have acknowledged India’s pioneering healthcare research.
The minister coined the term “PPP plus PPP”, referring to Public-Private Partnerships both within and beyond national borders, a model successfully adopted by several European nations, particularly in life sciences and healthcare.
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