FOGSI announces launch of Mahila Kavach Kendra, a comprehensive walk-in vaccination center for girls and women

In a bid to eliminate cervical cancer from India, Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) and MSD (known as Merck in U.S. and Canada) recently announced a unique collaboration to work together, with MSD providing the on ground support to the FOGSI initiative of the training and education of gynaecologists across India.

FOGSI has already trained 150 master trainers and has now collaborated with MSD, to further strengthen their on-ground efforts across India and ensure widespread reach to more of the practicing member gynaecologists.

As a sequel of this partnership, FOGSI will also set-up ‘Mahila Kavach Kendra,’ a walk-in vaccination centre for girls and women, to enhance accessibility and reach within communities. This is in line with FOGSI’s commitment to eliminate cervical cancer from India and FOGSI endorsement of the WHO’s recommendation to focus on vaccination and screening as two key pillars of eliminating cervical cancer.

Leading the charge are prominent team members from the FOGSI team, including Dr. Hrishikesh Pai – president FOGSI, Dr. Jaideep Tank – in-coming president FOGSI, Dr. Nandita Palshetkar – past president FOGSI, Dr. Rishma Dhillon Pai – past president FOGSI,Dr.Madhuri Patel-secretary general FOGSI and Dr. Priya GaneshKumar – Chairperson, Oncology Committee, FOGSI. Together, they will spearhead the initiative to equip gynaecologists with the knowledge necessary to advocate for and administer HPV vaccines, thereby empowering them to guide consumers through the associated benefits.

Dr. Rishma Dhillon Pai , past president FOGSI said, “India accounts for approximately one-fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer cases. Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in India. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of cervical cancer. Thus, cervical cancer can be prevented through HPV vaccination. FOGSI has recommended HPV vacation for women and girls from 9 years to 45 years, for the primary prevention of HPV infection”.

“With India grappling with a substantial burden of cervical cancer cases, it is imperative that we address the root causes hindering preventive measures. Lack of awareness and accessibility are major roadblocks, and through this collaboration with FOGSI, we aim to bridge these gaps by empowering healthcare professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to make a lasting impact," said MSD spokesperson.

Dr Hrishikesh Pai, president FOGSI said, "As leaders in women's health, FOGSI is committed to addressing the pressing issues surrounding cervical cancer in India. Cervical cancer claims one life every eight minutes in India, with nearly 95 percent of cases attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV). This is largely due to lack of awareness, Through the on-ground support of MSD, we aim to empower gynaecologists, enhance awareness, and make HPV vaccines more accessible through the launch of the 'Mahila Kavach Kendras', a comprehensive, geo-tagged, walk-in vaccination centre for girls and women, across the clinics & nursing homes run by us from the FOGSI leadership and these trained gynaecologists PAN India. We are confident that this will greatly contribute to FOGSI’s vision of eliminating cervical cancer from the country.”

Dr Jaideep Tank, president elect – FOGSI, said, “Cervical cancer claims one life every eight minutes in India, with nearly 95 per cent of cases attributed to human papillomavirus (HPV). Current estimates indicate that every year around 1,23,907 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and an estimated 77,348 die from the disease. Trends and projection in number of cervical cancer cases in India in 2015, 2020 and 2025 are 65,978 75,209 85,241 respectively, as per ICD, International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision. This partnership with MSD to strengthen on ground support in training our member gynaecologists, will go a long way in building a unique awareness and access infrastructure to support preventive HPV vaccination for the women and the girl child in India.

Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, past president FOGSI, said that “Cervical cancer ranks the 2nd most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age. The high incidence is linked to low literacy, inadequate screening, limited awareness, social inequality, stigma, and poverty. This collaborative effort of FOGSI and MSD represents a significant stride towards a healthier future for women and girls in India, emphasizing the importance of education, accessibility, and prevention in the fight against cervical cancer, due to HPV infection.”

Dr Madhuri Patel, secretary general FOGSI said, “We have already kicked off our trainings and trained 150 master trainers who have in turn trained more than 2000 gynaecologists so far and with MSD’s on ground support, We plan to reach more than 10,000 gynaecologists across India over the next few months.”

Dr. Priya Ganesh Kumar, chairperson, FOGSI Oncology Committee, said that the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the importance of HPV vaccination as a key strategy to prevent cervical cancer and other HPV-related diseases. The primary goal of HPV vaccination is to prevent cervical cancer, which is a major public health issue worldwide. HPV vaccines target the most common high-risk HPV types that cause cervical cancer. Vaccination can significantly reduce HPV infection rates and subsequent development of cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer, in India.

The WHO has developed a Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, which emphasizes the importance of HPV vaccination as part of comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control efforts.

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