MAPUSA
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas on Wednesday raised an urgent public health concern in the Goa Legislative Assembly regarding the delayed rollout of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer prevention in government hospitals.
Highlighting the issue during the session, Viegas informed the House that an enquiry conducted two weeks ago revealed that while the Department of Paediatrics at Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim, has been administering the HPV vaccine to girls up to 14 years of age, the Gynaecology Department has yet to initiate vaccination for women.
He pointed out that the vaccination programme was scheduled to commence in July 2025. However, no HPV vaccine doses have been received from the Union Health Ministry, and the programme has not begun in any government hospitals.
“This delay is deeply concerning, especially given the vaccine’s critical role in preventing cervical cancer,” Viegas said.
He urged the government to take immediate action to coordinate with the central authorities, ensure vaccine supply, and roll out the programme across all public health institutions in a timely and effective manner.
