Free cervical cancer screening at AIIMS as India loses 1 woman every 8 minutes

NEW DELHI: AIIMS New Delhi launched free cervical cancer screening through January under a public-interest drive, as India continues to lose 1 woman every 8 minutes to a disease doctors say is largely preventable.

As part of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Preventive Oncology at the Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital and the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with the College of Nursing, is offering WHO-recommended HPV testing (Cobas HPV/Hybrid Capture-2), follow-up care, and vaccination.




Women aged 30–65 years can undergo cervical and breast cancer screening from Monday to Friday (9 am–3 pm), while HPV vaccination is available for girls aged 9–14 years on Saturdays (9 am–12 noon) at the New RAK Building, AIIMS. Outreach and community screening drives are also being conducted across NCI Jhajjar through January 2026.

“This is 1 cancer which is absolutely preventable. Women should not neglect their health at any age—we must make earnest efforts to eliminate cervical cancer from India,” said Dr Pallavi Shukla, Associate Professor of Preventive Oncology, AIIMS, who is coordinating the programme.

Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with 6.6 lakh new cases and 3.5 lakh deaths in 2022. In India, it is the second most common, with GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates showing around 1.27 lakh new cases and nearly 80,000 deaths annually.

Dr Neerja Bhatla said the disease is caused by persistent high-risk HPV infection. While most infections clear naturally, a small proportion progress to cancer, especially in women with early marriage, multiple pregnancies, smoking, reproductive tract infections, or weakened immunity.

Experts underline that cervical cancer has a long precancerous phase of 10–15 years, making early detection possible. WHO now recommends HPV testing over Pap smears for earlier and more accurate diagnosis, with at least 2 lifetime tests—at 35 and 45 years—crucial to prevention.