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Quad countries launch Cancer Moonshot initiative to reduce burden of cancer in Indo-Pacific

Quad countries launch Cancer Moonshot initiative to reduce burden of cancer in Indo-Pacific

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event hosted by President Joseph R Biden Jr

The US, Australia, India, and Japan have launched a groundbreaking effort to help end cancer as we know it in the Indo-Pacific, starting with cervical cancer, a largely preventable disease that continues to be a major health crisis in the region, and laying the groundwork to address other forms of cancer as well.

The Quad Cancer Moonshot will serve to strengthen the overall cancer care ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific by improving health infrastructure, expanding research collaborations, building data systems, and providing greater support for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care.

Through this initiative, Quad countries will work to address these gaps by promoting HPV vaccination, increasing access to screenings, and expanding treatment options and care in underserved areas.

Altogether, our scientific experts assess that the Quad Cancer Moonshot will save hundreds of thousands of lives over the coming decades. These steps build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s steadfast commitment to ending cancer as we know it. More than two years ago, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot with the goals of reducing the cancer death rate in the United States by at least half—preventing more than 4 million cancer deaths—by 2047, and improving the experience of people who are touched by cancer.

Quad partners also intend to work, within respective national contexts, to collaborate in advancing research and development in the area of cancer and to increase private sector and non-governmental sector activities in support of reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event hosted by President Joseph R Biden Jr, on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware.

PM Modi deeply appreciated this thoughtful initiative of President Biden aimed at preventing, detecting and treating cervical cancer. He stated that the programme would go a long way in providing affordable, accessible and quality healthcare to people in Indo-Pacific countries. He noted that India was also undertaking a mass cervical cancer screening program in the country.

As India’s contribution to the Cancer Moonshot initiative, Prime Minister, in keeping with India’s vision of ONE WORLD, ONE HEALTH, announced the dedication of a grant of $7.5 million to cancer testing, screening, and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister also announced that India will provide support for radiotherapy treatment and capacity building for cancer prevention in the Indo-Pacific. He also mentioned that Indo-Pacific countries will be benefiting from the supply of 40 million doses of vaccine from India under GAVI and QUAD programmes. Prime Minister noted that when the Quad acts, it is not just for nations, it is for the people and that is the true essence of its human-centric approach.

India will also offer technical assistance to interested countries in the Indo-Pacific region on DPI for cancer screening, care and continuum through its $10 million contribution to WHO’s-Global Initiative on Digital Health.

Through the Cancer Moonshot initiative, the Quad leaders committed to working together to address gaps in the cervical cancer care and treatment ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific countries. A Joint Cancer Moonshot Fact Sheet was released on the occasion.

India will share technical expertise in digital health through its National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal. As part of its $10 million commitment to support the World Health Organization (WHO) led Global Initiative on Digital Health, India will provide technical assistance to the Indo-Pacific region. This includes offering technical support for the use of its National Non-Communicable Disease portal, which tracks long-term data on cancer screening and care.

PIB