The Family Welfare Division (FWD), Department of Health Services (DoHS), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), and WHO Country Office for Nepal convened an advocacy meeting on 31 January with Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NESOG) and other stakeholders on human papillomavirus (HPV) multi-age cohort vaccination and introduction of HPV vaccine in routine immunization. The meeting was chaired by Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, Director, FWD.
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Dr Bibek Lal, Director of Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Population, providing his remarks at the advocacy meeting for the integration of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the national routine immunization program in Nepal. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
The meeting saw the participation of approximately 100 attendees, including the President of Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NESOG), government officials, consultant gynecologists, obstetricians, and representatives from partner organizations such as WHO and UNICEF.
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Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of Child Health and Immunization Service Section, Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Population, presenting on the ongoing preparations and implementation strategy for the campaign at the meeting. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Immunization Service Section, opened the session by outlining its key objectives. He provided an overview of the National Immunization Program (NIP), the process for introducing new vaccines, and the ongoing preparations and implementation strategies for the HPV vaccination campaign.
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Dr Jitendra Pariyar, Scientific Chair of NESOG (left) and Dr Sarita Ghimire, Gynae-oncologist and Chief of the Cancer Screening Centre at the Nepal Cancer Care Foundation presenting at the meeting. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
Dr Jitendra Pariyar, Scientific Chair of NESOG, discussed Nepal’s cervical cancer elimination initiatives. This was followed by a presentation by Dr Sarita Ghimire, Gynae-oncologist and Chief of the Cancer Screening Centre at the Nepal Cancer Care Foundation, who provided an overview on HPV and cervical cancer elimination, with a focus on cervical cancer screening in Nepal.
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Dr Rahul Pradhan, National Professional Officer, Immunization and Surveillance, at WHO Country Office for Nepal, presenting at the meeting. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
Dr Rahul Pradhan, National Professional Officer – Immunization and Surveillance, from WHO Nepal, and Dr Pawan Upadhyaya, New Vaccines and Immunization Program Officer, from WHO Nepal, provided technical orientation on the vaccine safety, adverse events following immunization (AEFI) surveillance in Nepal, alongside an overview of the recent advances on HPV vaccine schedule.
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Participants discussing strategies to address challenges and enhance coverage to ensure the campaign's success at the programme. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
An interactive session allowed participants to discuss strategies to address challenges and enhance vaccination coverage to ensure the campaign’s success. FWD officials and WHO technical officers addressed queries related to the HPV vaccination schedule, vaccine efficacy and safety.
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Dr Balwinder Singh, Team Lead for Immunization Preventable Diseases team at WHO Country Office for Nepal, providing his remarks at the programme. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
Dr Balwinder Singh, Team Lead for the Immunization Preventable Diseases team at the WHO Country Office for Nepal, emphasized the critical role of gynecologists and obstetricians in addressing public concerns, countering misinformation on social media and raising awareness to ensure that all eligible adolescent girls receive the HPV vaccine during the campaign.
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Dr Saroja Karki Pande, President of Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NESOG), providing her remarks at the programme. Photo credit: WHO Nepal/A.Maharjan
Dr Saroja Karki Pande, President of NESOG, highlighted the introduction of the HPV vaccine as a significant milestone in the fight against cervical cancer. She reaffirmed NESOG’s commitment to supporting the campaign through its network of over 800 gynecologists and obstetricians across Nepal.
The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign, followed by its integration into the routine immunization program, underscores Nepal’s commitment to public health and represents a major step toward achieving the 2030 targets for cervical cancer elimination as outlined in the Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer Elimination.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Nepal. To address this critical public health issue, the MoHP, Government of Nepal, had officially launched a nationwide HPV vaccination campaign on 4 February, coinciding with World Cancer Day. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli officially launched the campaign against cervical cancer.
This campaign, which aims to vaccinate over 1.6 million adolescent schoolgirls (grades 6 to 10) and out-of-school girls (aged 10 to 14), marks a significant step forward in Nepal’s efforts to reduce the burden of cervical cancer and improve women’s health outcomes across the country.
The campaign is supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and UNICEF.