Quad Cancer Moonshot: PM Modi Announces USD 7.5 Million Support To Fight Cervical Cancer

Wilmington (Delaware) [US]: Emphasising India's vision of 'One Earth One Health,' Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (local time) announced a USD 7.5 million support of sampling kits, detection kits and vaccines nations to fight cervical cancer.

During the Cancer Moonshot event in Delaware, PM Modi highlighted the initiatives taken by India to fight cervical cancer and said India is ready to share its experience and expertise.

He also stressed on an "integrated approach of prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment" to reduce the cancer burden.

What Is Cancer Moonshot?

The Cancer Moonshot is a White House initiative to bring renewed leadership to the fight against cancer, facilitate new collaborations, and drive progress across the cancer journey utilizing all facets of the oncology community - federal agencies and departments, private companies, healthcare providers, patient groups, philanthropies, and all Americans.

"I want to thank President Biden for organising this event. This reflects our shared determination to provide affordable, accessible and quality health care. During the COVID pandemic, we had taken the Quad Vaccine initiative for the Indo-Pacific and I am glad that in the Quad, we have decided to jointly tackle challenges like cervical cancer. In cancer care, collaboration is essential for cure," PM Modi said.

"An integrated approach of prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment is necessary to reduce the burden of cancer. In India, a very cost-effective cervical cancer screening program is being carried out," he added.

The Prime Minister said India has developed its own vaccine for the disease and new treatment protocols are being introduced with the help of AI. He also said that a very cost-effective cervical cancer screening program is being carried out in the country.

"Along with this, India is running the world's largest health insurance scheme and special centres have also been set up to make medicines available to everyone at affordable cost. India has also developed its own vaccine for cervical cancer and new treatment protocols are also being introduced with the help of Artificial Intelligence," the Prime Minister said.

"India is ready to share its experience and expertise. Today, many experts from India working in cancer care have joined us in this event. India's vision is One Earth One Health. I announce the support of sampling kits, detection kits and vaccines worth USD 7.5 million," he added.

About Another Announcement Made By PM Modi

Prime Minister Modi also announced that India will cooperate in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building and will contribute 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries under GAVI and QUAD initiatives.

"India will also cooperate in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building. I am happy that India will contribute 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries under GAVI and QUAD initiatives. These 40 million vaccine doses will become a ray of hope in the lives of crores of people. As you can see when the QUAD acts, it is not just for nations. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach," PM Modi further stated.

The Cancer Moonshot has spurred tremendous action across the US government and from the public and private sectors, building a strong foundation for the work ahead. To date, the Cancer Moonshot has announced more than 95 new programs, policies, and resources to address five priority actions. 170 private companies, non-profits, academic institutions, and patient groups have also stepped up with new actions and collaborations.

The US Embassy in New Delhi facilitated the first ever US-India Cancer Moonshot Dialogue on August 5-6 at the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and hosted by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT). The dialogue focused attention on cancer, strengthening US-India biomedical research cooperation, and jointly developing solutions to improve the health and well-being of the global community.