PM pledges 40 million vaccines for Indo-Pacific region at Cancer Moonshot event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pledged 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries and assistance with radiotherapy treatment and capacity building to help battle cancer during the Cancer Moonshot event being held in Wilmington, Delaware, as part of the Quad Summit.
“These 40 million vaccine doses will become a ray of hope in the lives of crores of people. As you can see when the QUAD acts, it is not just for nations. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach,” PM Modi said while addressing the attendees.
He noted the numerous efforts being made in India to battle sickness, including the world’s largest health insurance scheme to make medicines affordable and accessible to everyone.
“Today, many experts from India working in cancer care have joined us in this event. India’s vision is One Earth One Health. Therefore, under the Moonshot initiative, I announce the support of sampling kits, detection kits and vaccines worth $7.5 million,” he announced.
The Prime Minister said that India has developed its own vaccine for fighting the disease and that it is inculcating artifical intelligence into cancer treatment.
“I want to thank President Biden for organising this event. This reflects our shared determination to provide affordable, accessible and quality health care. During the COVID pandemic, we had taken the Quad Vaccine initiative for the Indo-Pacific, and I am glad that in the Quad, we have decided to jointly tackle challenges like cervical cancer. In cancer care, collaboration is essential for cure,” PM Modi said.
The Moonshot Cancer initiative was first started in 2016 to accelerate cancer research by bringing together a community of patients, clinicians, advocates and researchers. US President Joe Biden revived the efforts in 2022 and also convened a Cancer Cabinet through the White House that can bring together federal agencies to help expedite progress against cancer.
He has been a vocal advocate of battling cancer for years. It could be attributed to the fact that his son, Beau Biden, died in 2015 from brain cancer.
The initiative has, until now, introduced 95 programs, policies and resources to five different nations.
“Every year, 150,000 women die from cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific. We can’t and will not let that continue. The four of us are proud democracies. We’re coming together to deliver better hope, more hope for our people,” said President Biden.
“In practice, the Quad Cancer Moonshot means more collaboration between our hospitals, research centres and cancer foundations. More investment in screenings, treatment and research and more exchanges between our countries to improve vaccination rates all across the region…I’m proud to announce that our four countries, the leaders behind me and many organisations here today are committing over $150 million for HPV screening and therapeutics.”
The US President further announced that from next year, doctors and nurses from the US Navy will be training Indo-Pacific counterparts in conducting cervical cancer screening and vaccination.
The event, following the Quad Summit, was attended by all the world leaders, each of whom pledged a contribution and highlighted the need to battle the sickness that takes millions of lives each year.