PM Modi Pledges $7.5 Mn & 40 Mn Vaccine Doses at Quad Cancer Moonshot Event

The Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative saw India pledge support through various healthcare measures, including radiotherapy treatment and capacity-building programs.

PM Narendra Modi has announced India's contribution of $7.5 million to support cancer screening, testing, and diagnostics at the Quad Cancer Moonshot event.

At the event, Modi emphasized India's "One Earth, One Health" vision, and the country’s role in advancing cancer care in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative saw India pledge support through various healthcare measures, including radiotherapy treatment and capacity-building programs.

PM Modi also declared that India will provide 40 million vaccine doses for the Indo-Pacific region under the Quad Cancer Moonshot and GAVI initiatives.

Reportedly, this support will include sampling kits, detection kits, and a cervical cancer vaccine developed in India.

"India stands ready to share its expertise," Modi said at the Quad Cancer Moonshot event, underlining the importance of India’s experience in healthcare.

As per the White House statement, India is set to contribute HPV sampling kits, detection kits, and cervical cancer vaccines as part of its Indo-Pacific healthcare efforts.

Other Announcements at the Moonshot Event

During his speech at the Quad Cancer Moonshot event, PM Modi also highlighted that India is running the world's largest health insurance scheme - the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

He noted that special centers have been established to make medicines affordable for all.

Launched in 2018, it aims to provide health coverage of up to INR 5 Lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10 Cr poor and vulnerable families in India.

"India has developed its own cervical cancer vaccine, and we are introducing new treatment protocols using Artificial Intelligence," said Modi, showcasing India's contribution to global cancer care advancements.

Moreover, at the event, US President Joe Biden announced a new initiative to train healthcare professionals in the Indo-Pacific region. Beginning next year, doctors and nurses from the US Navy will work with Indo-Pacific counterparts on cervical cancer screening and vaccination.

"The Quad Cancer Moonshot aims to reach every woman in the Indo-Pacific," Biden remarked, emphasizing the collaborative efforts of India, the US, Australia, and Japan to enhance healthcare across the region.

Earlier, the Biden administration allocated up to $21.1 million to the University of Washington (UW) as part of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a bold effort aimed at halving the cancer mortality rate by 2047.

Launched by President Joe Biden during his tenure as Vice President in 2016, the initiative was reignited in February 2022 to expedite progress in cancer research and treatment, leveraging lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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