In an effort to enhance cervical cancer screening in India, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has partnered with Healthians to introduce at-home self-collection kits for screening. This innovative approach aims to tackle the significant public health challenge of reaching women who do not undergo regular screenings.
Deepak Sahni, Founder & Chairman of Healthians, emphasized their vision of not just fighting diseases but preventing them. He highlighted the importance of early detection of cervical cancer, stressing the urgency of the battle against it. With Healthians’ established presence as a Direct-to-Consumer player since 2014, Sahni believes they are well-positioned to raise awareness and offer women a convenient platform for testing from their homes.
Current statistics from the IARC Information Center on HPV and Cancer reveal alarming numbers: annually, 123,907 women in India are diagnosed with cervical cancer, resulting in 77,348 deaths. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women and is primarily caused by persistent genital high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Cervical cancer is highly preventable and treatable if detected early. However, various barriers such as social stigma, lack of time, embarrassment, and fear often deter women from undergoing pelvic examinations. The partnership between BD and Healthians aims to overcome these barriers by enabling women to collect samples at home, thus increasing accessibility to screening.
Atul Grover, Managing Director of BD India/South Asia, emphasized the importance of timely screening for preventing cervical cancer. The at-home self-collection kits aim to provide women with increased access to HPV testing by allowing them to collect samples privately. This initiative aligns with BD’s mission to advance healthcare accessibility for better patient outcomes.
Furthermore, this initiative aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2020 Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer. The strategy targets achieving over 90% HPV vaccination coverage, over 70% screening coverage, and over 90% access to treatment by 2030. Through collaborations like this, the goal of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat becomes more attainable.