Health Ministry committed to provide HPV vaccine to girls of all age groups: Minister Basnet

Kathmandu- Minister for Health and Population, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, has said the ministry was committed to provide ‘HPV’ vaccine against cervical cancer to girls of all age groups across the country.

Inaugurating the HPV vaccine campaign at the Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital today, Health Minister Basnet expressed commitment to provide the vaccine to girls of all age groups in near future. He shared that Gavi has also assured of providing sufficient amount of HPV vaccine from 2024. “We have started vaccinating HPV vaccine despite limited means and resources. All girls from all 77 districts should get this vaccine in near future. The Ministry will move ahead with this determination”, mentioned Minister Basnet.

Similarly, Health Secretary Dr Roshna Pokharel shared that although there is not enough amount of vaccine, it would be distributed in a proportional manner. The vaccination campaign has begun from Paropakar Maternity Hospital in Bagmati Province and the Ministry has attempt to provide the vaccine to all needy people. Another Secretary at the Ministry, Dev Kumari Guragain, shared that the HPV vaccine was indispensable to alleviate the disease as per the commitment of World Health Organisation.

Stating that one can get first doze vaccine taking official document with the proof of the age, Director General at the Department of Health Services, Dr Sangita Kaushal Mishra urged guardians, schools and hospital to facilitate. Family Welfare Division director Dr Bibek Kumar Lal said HPV, the vaccination against cervical cancer, has been administered to the adolescent girls from the six federal hospitals and from the Dadeldhura Hospital for the girls of the Sudurpaschim Province and from Surkhet Hopital in the Karnali Province from today. He added that Koshi Province will conduct the HPV vaccination programme from Thursday.

This vaccine is being administered to the girls who have completed 14 years of age and not crossed 15 years as a ‘demonstration’ to prevent the cervical cancer in them. Girls born between September 15, 2008 and September 5, 2009are being administered the HPV. The HPV vaccination has been administered today to the target group from Birgunj-based Narayani Hospital in Madhes Province, from Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Bagmati Province, from the Gandaki Academy of Health Sciences in Gandaki Province and from Bheri Hospital, Banke in Lumbini Province. Similarly, the vaccination has been administered from the Provincial Hospital, Surkhet in Karnali Province and from Dadeldhura Hospital in Sudurpaschim Province.

The vaccination campaign will continue until September 16. Before this, the government had conducted the HPV vaccination drive on a piloting basis in Chitwan and Kaski in 2016 and 2017.