To strengthen the fight against cervical cancer, India has pledged a grant of USD 7.5 million to the testing, screening, and diagnosis of the disease in the Indo-Pacific region.Addressing the Cancer Moonshot event hosted by US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Quad Leadersā Summit in Delaware on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the initiative would go a long way in providing affordable, accessible and quality health care to people in Indo-Pacific countries.
The Quad Cancer Moonshot is a “groundbreaking partnership” to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region by combating cervical cancer. Through the initiative, the Quad countries comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia have committed to work together to address gaps in the cervical cancer care and treatment ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific countries.
As India’s contribution to the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Modi announced the dedication of a grant of USD 7.5 million to cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region.
“India is ready to share its experience and expertise,” he said, asserting that the grant was made under India’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Heath’.
The prime minister also announced that India will provide support for radiotherapy treatment and capacity building for cancer prevention in the Indo-Pacific.
He also said that Indo-Pacific countries will be benefiting from the supply of 40 million doses of vaccine from India under GAVI, an international organisation created in 2000 to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries, and QUAD programmes.