New Delhi, 23 April (IANS). Dr. Neerja Bhatla, who was awarded the Padma Shri Award and renowned gynecologist, said on Wednesday that indigenously developed HPV test kit will bring significant changes in India’s efforts to deal with cervical cancer in women.
Talking to IANS on the occasion of a Scientific Review program in the national capital, he said that this low -cost kit would help strengthen the initial investigation especially in rural and deprived areas.
He told IANS on the importance of both vaccination and investigation in prevention of cervical cancer, “Ideally vaccination should be done before the age of 15 and the investigation should begin after 30 years.”
He further stated that these new HPV testing kits would be particularly useful in areas with limited medical staff.
Bhatla told IANS, “We have already seen in the Northeast that there is a shortage of trained medical staff. These kits are easy to use and local health workers can also handle them, which will make the screening very easy.”
On the price question, Bhatla said that the final price of the kit has not been decided yet.
He said, “Prices will depend on how the government involves them in their national health programs and how much kit is purchased. But we hope that these kits will be more affordable than the current options.”
The Chief Guest of the program, Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh appreciated the initiative.
He said that the development of these affordable kits will help towards making healthcare more accessible for women across India.
-IANS
ABS/CBT
