CHENNAI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has initiated a capacity-building exercise for medical and paramedical staff in preparation for the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine, Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, informed the Parliament on Friday.

The Minister said this while responding to a question raised by Villupuram MP D Ravikumar regarding the delay in including the HPV vaccine under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) and sought response from the ministry.

"The Ministry has initiated the capacity-building exercise for medical and paramedical staff for the cervical cancer vaccine. In June 2022, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) recommended the introduction of the cervical cancer vaccine in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), based on fresh evidence regarding disease burden, the effectiveness of a single dose of the vaccine, clinical trial results, and other relevant data," Minister Patel said.