Chennai: Four months into India’s Swastha Nari HPV vaccination drive, Tamil Nadu has vaccinated barely 65,000 of its 7.7 lakh target girls — utilizing less than 12% of the 5.3 lakh doses stored in cold storage across the state. The vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer and costs ₹3,500 in private clinics, is administered free of charge. In Tamil Nadu, 8,534 new cervical cancer cases were recorded in 2023 alone, according to the state’s cancer registry.
Initial Hurdles
The Swastha Nari rollout initially stumbled due to timing issues. School board exams in March and April, followed by summer holidays for the target group of 14-year-old girls, disrupted the schedule. Additionally, the elections in May tied up district-level administrative machinery necessary for implementing such drives.
Bigger Problems
Health officials and experts point to more significant challenges. The Union government prohibits school-based vaccination, requiring every girl to travel to a government healthcare facility. Before a visit can be scheduled, entries must be made on U-WIN — the Union government’s digital immunization registry, modeled on the CoWIN platform used during COVID-19 — to verify consent through a one-time password sent to the parent’s mobile phone. “If we cannot get the OTP, we cannot vaccinate the girl. The Centre says parental digital consent is mandatory,” said a senior public health official. This system, designed for accountability, becomes a bottleneck in areas with poor connectivity or low digital literacy.
Expert Recommendations
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist of the World Health Organization, suggested that “the government could allow parents to opt out, after reviewing the information provided, instead of requiring them to volunteer for the vaccine.” She added, “States must send multimedia messages to the community, creating awareness about the programme and the benefits of vaccination against HPV. Cervical cancer vaccines are safe — the evidence is in the science.”
State-Level Solution
Tamil Nadu’s director of public health, Dr. A. Somasundaram, said the state has a solution. Tamil Nadu launched a pilot in four high-incidence districts — Dharmapuri, Perambalur, Tiruvannamalai, and Ariyalur. The pilot targeted 27,196 girls aged 14 studying in government and government-aided schools, vaccinating them on campus. Within weeks, coverage reached 81%. “We have requested the Union Health Ministry to permit vaccination in schools,” Dr. Somasundaram stated.
