PM Narendra Modi has announced a contribution of $ 7.5 million in sampling kits, detection kits and vaccines under the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative at the sixth Quad summit. The initiative aims to fight cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region and save lives. The conference was held in Wilmington, Delaware, where world leaders committed to their respective contributions towards this serious disease, which kills millions of people every year.
PM Modi said that the Quad nations have decided to jointly face this challenge. He congratulated US President Joe Biden for organizing this important initiative and said that this effort reflects a shared resolve towards affordable, accessible and quality healthcare. He emphasized the need for an integrated approach in cancer care, which includes prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Emphasising his vision of One Earth, One Health, Prime Minister Modi said that the Quad initiative is not just for nations but for people. This is the true essence of a human-centred approach aimed at providing affordable and accessible healthcare.
India, which is already running an affordable cervical cancer screening programme, is willing to share its experience and expertise in this field. Prime Minister Modi informed that India has developed its own vaccine for cervical cancer and is also introducing new treatment protocols with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). He also announced that India will also cooperate in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building.
The Prime Minister also announced the donation of 40 million vaccine doses to Indo-Pacific countries, which will bring a positive change in the lives of the people of the region. Along with this, he announced a contribution of US $ 10 million to the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative on Digital Health. Through this initiative, technical assistance will be provided to interested countries using digital technology in cancer detection, care and treatment.