Mumbai medicos cycle 102 km to create awareness on cervical cancer

Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS) Over four dozen gynaecologists and others participated in a 102-km-long cyclothon across Mumbai on Sunday to generate awareness on cervical cancer among women, as part of the WHO's Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

The event was arranged by the 89-year-old Mumbai Obstetrics & Gynaecological Society (MOGS) and covered strategic routes in the city and suburbs to reach out to the largest number of people, MOGS President Dr Niranjan Chavan said.

"It was our first such initiative and we cycled to and from Juhu-Shivaji Park, 24 km, Gateway of India-Nariman Point-Shivaji Park, 36 km, and the longest route Mulund-Dadar, 42 km," he said after the event this afternoon.

The participants cycled away to spread the message of women's health and MOGS slogan of Vision For HER - Heal her, Educate her, Respect her, said event convenors Dr Rajeev Punjabi and Dr Priya Vora.

The participants carried banners/posters on their cycles with messages on the dangers of cervical cancer, prevention of anaemia and PIH as January is marked as the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month all over the world with similar events in different countries.

Dr Chavan said that in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO had set a goal to completely eradicate cervical cancer as a global public health problem in 100 years (2120) and asked its members to take certain critical steps by 2030 for the ultimate targets.

These include: firstly, by the age of 15, 90 per cent of all girls should be fully inoculated with the HPV vaccine, secondly 70 per cent of women should be screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35 and again at the age of 45, and thirdly, ensuring that 90 per cent of women with pre-cancer are treated, while 90 per cent of women with invasive cancer are managed.