Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign from Ajmer, Rajasthan. As part of this, the Prime Minister virtually marked the statewide launch of the vaccination mega campaign from Sola Civil Hospital, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya.
According to a release from Gujarat CMO, while addressing the occasion, Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya stated that under the leadership of PM Modi, Gujarat has been polio-free since 2007, and the vaccination process has become simpler and more effective. Diseases for which vaccines once had to be imported are now being addressed through indigenously manufactured vaccines, showcasing India’s growing capacity to assist the world and embodying the spirit of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
The Minister further said that the government is committed to ensuring that no one, especially the poorest, loses their life due to a lack of medicine or financial crisis.
In line with this commitment, the treatment coverage under the Ayushman Card has been increased from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
He also appealed to the public to refrain from superstition and misinformation, highlighting that the vaccine has been scientifically developed under medical supervision. Noting the rise in diseases like cancer due to food adulteration, he urged citizens to uphold the belief that “Health is the first happiness” and to actively participate in the vaccination campaign to secure a healthier and brighter future for our daughters.
He urged people to avoid superstition and misleading information, emphasising that the vaccine has been scientifically developed under medical supervision. Highlighting the rise in diseases like cancer due to food adulteration, he encouraged everyone to remember that “Health is the first happiness” and to take part in the vaccination campaign to ensure a healthier and brighter future for our daughters, a release said.
Under the Universal Immunisation Programme, the Government of Gujarat spends over ₹240 crore annually on children’s vaccination, and the HPV vaccine has now been added to this programme. Although a single dose of the vaccine costs around ₹3,000 in the market, the State Government has made a historic decision to allocate ₹150 crore to provide it completely free of cost.
Under this campaign, the goal is to vaccinate and protect around 5.50 lakh adolescent girls in the state who have completed 14 years of age and have not yet turned 15, to prevent cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India and is mainly caused by HPV-16 and HPV-18 virus types. Keeping this serious condition in mind, a highly effective and safe quadrivalent HPV vaccine will now be provided to adolescent girls in Gujarat.
As per a release, for the smooth implementation of this campaign, 2,297 trained vaccination teams and an equal number of cold chain points have been made operational. To ensure vaccine quality, storage facilities maintaining temperatures between +2°C and +8°C have been arranged, along with real-time monitoring through the TeCHO+ and SAFE-VAC portals.
With the message, “Let’s continue to protect our daughters from cervical cancer–by ensuring timely HPV vaccination,” the government urges all parents to get their 14-year-old daughters vaccinated and secure a cancer-free future for them.
On this occasion, Ahmedabad Mayor Pratibha Jain, Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, Rajeev Topno, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Vikrant Pandey, Health Commissioner Ratankanvar Gadhavicharan, Standing Committee Chairman Devang Dani, Ruling Party Leader Gaurang Prajapati, officials and staff of the Health Department and Sola Civil Hospital, and a large number of Adolescent girls were present, a release added. (ANI)