Free HPV vaccination drive at Shalby Hospital on Women’s Day
Shalby Hospital Mohali will organise a free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination drive on International Women’s Day. The initiative is aimed to protect young girls against cervical cancer, a preventable disease that claims the lives of nearly 90,000 Indian women annually, said Dr. Ashwani Kumar Sachdeva, onco surgeon.
City Air News
Mar 2, 2026 05:18
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Mohali: Shalby Hospital Mohali will organise a free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination drive on International Women’s Day. The initiative is aimed to protect young girls against cervical cancer, a preventable disease that claims the lives of nearly 90,000 Indian women annually, said Dr. Ashwani Kumar Sachdeva, onco surgeon.
Dr. Sachdeva further said that cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with approximately 1,27,000 new cases and 80,000 deaths reported each year – accounting for one-fifth of global burden.
The statistics are particularly alarming as one woman in India dies after every 8 minutes in India due to cervical cancer and India reports one-third of all global cancer cases, he informed.
Dr. Arvinder Kaur Heer, consultancy gynaecology said,” Recent studies show that a single dose HPV vaccination program could reduce HPV 16 & HPV 18 infection risk approximately 90% in vaccinated cohort and decrease overall prevalence of high-risk HPV infections by 49% after 20 years”.
The HPV vaccine is most effective when administered before potential exposure to the virus. The WHO recommends vaccinating girls between 9–14 years of age as the primary target group for maximum protection, said Dr. Balbir Kaur Ghai consultancy gynaecology
On this International Women’s Day, we are not just celebrating women, we are actively investing in their future health and wellbeing, said Lalit Sharma, chief administrative officer.
