Taking a historic lead in the prevention of deadly disease, the State Cancer Institute (SCI) of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu launched a free vaccine drive for young girls to prevent cancer of the uterine cervix in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.This first-of-its-kind initiative in the region was inaugurated by Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo at SCI, GMC Jammu.This Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine will be provided free of cost to girls aged 9–15 years at the Preventive Oncology OPD of the State Cancer Institute, Jammu, as well as through outreach sessions in schools, anganwadi centres and urban slums.Along with Itoo, MLA Jammu West, and Arvind Gupta, MLA Bahu Vikram Randhawa. who were also present on the occasion, signed the wall of pledge.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo, while reaffirming the commitment of the J&K government to save lives and build a healthy future for women across the region, asked the Departments of Social Welfare and School Education to collaborate with the Department of Health and Medical Education (HME) to take this noble cause forward.She emphasised the importance of raising awareness about the HPV vaccine and called upon the media to disseminate information about its safety and efficacy throughout the UT of J&K.The Principal and Dean, GMC Jammu, Dr Ashutosh Gupta, stated that cancer of the cervix was the second most common cancer among women in the region, with the primary risk factor being persistent infection with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
