New Delhi: India has pledged $7.5 million for cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics as part of the newly launched Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking initiative to help end cancer in the Indo-Pacific region. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 September during his trip to the US to participate in the Quad Leaders’ Summit.
The Quad Cancer Moonshot is an extension of the US Cancer Moonshot initiative started in 2016. It aims to strengthen the overall cancer care ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific—comprising nearly 40 countries—by improving health infrastructure, expanding research collaborations, building data systems, and providing greater support for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care. Under the initiative, India has committed to providing support for radiotherapy treatment and capacity building for cancer prevention in a number of countries.
Modi also announced that the Indo-Pacific countries will benefit from the supply of 40 million doses of cervical cancer vaccine from India under the international vaccine alliance GAVI and Quad programmes. Cervical cancer, considered a largely preventable disease caused by human papillomavirus or HPV, continues to be a major health crisis in the region. Additionally, the country has committed to sharing technical expertise in digital health through its National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal.
This is part of India’s $10-million commitment to support the World Health Organization (WHO)-l.