India can defeat cervical cancer with HPV vaccination push, says Padma Bhushan awardee

Indian-American radiation oncologist Dattatreyudu Nori has said HPV vaccination could give India a decisive advantage in its fight against cervical cancer and help eliminate the disease in the coming years.

“Now, with the HPV vaccination, we have an upper hand, and in few years, we'll be able to eliminate cancer of the cervix from India,” Nori said in an interview with IANS.

The 2026 Padma Bhushan awardee described cervical cancer as preventable, detectable and curable, making the continued loss of lives particularly distressing for doctors working in oncology.

“Cancer of the cervix is preventable, is detectable, is treatable and curable,” he said.

Nori said about 200 women die of cervical cancer every day in India. He welcomed the introduction of free HPV vaccination for girls, saying it could substantially strengthen prevention efforts.

Nori also praised the changes he said had taken place in India’s healthcare sector over the past 12 years, particularly in cancer prevention and treatment.

“A lot of significant positive changes have happened. A lot of significant, especially in healthcare,” he said.

He cited the establishment of the National Cancer Institute and the expansion of cancer treatment facilities among the important steps taken during this period.

“For the first time, he established National Cancer Institute. We didn't have that before,” Nori said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Nori said India had also opened more cancer and outpatient centres, provided financial assistance to patients and made imported chemotherapy medicines less expensive.

“So many other programs he's introduced in terms of cancer care. So I really commend him for his, all his contributions,” he said.

Nori expressed confidence that India would continue to make progress across the full spectrum of cancer care.

“I'm very optimistic that, we will be making significant strides in cancer detection, prevention, screening, and treatment in India,” he said.

Speaking about his own journey, Nori said he arrived in the United States about 50 years ago and advanced from the lower ranks of medicine and academia to lead a department at an Ivy League medical school.

“This is possible only in America. Only in America,” he told the gathering in Washington.

Nori was named a Padma Bhushan recipient in medicine in 2026. The honour is India’s third-highest civilian award. The government’s Padma Awards portal lists him as an awardee from the United States.

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