By Our Reporter

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli officially launched a nationwide free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign against cervical cancer on Tuesday.

Marking World Cancer Day, the Ministry of Health and Population organised an event at Shivapuri Secondary School in Maharajgunj, where Prime Minister Oli handed over health kits to healthcare workers from Kathmandu Metropolitan City-3, formally initiating the campaign.

Addressing the inauguration of the campaign, Prime Minister Oli emphasised the need for a collective effort to ensure the success of the ‘Healthy Nepal’ campaign.

He said that the government’s objective is the well-being and prosperity of humanity.

The campaign will run across the country simultaneously until February 18.

The initiative aims to vaccinate approximately 1.7 million adolescent girls, including those studying in grades 6 to 10 in schools and those aged between 10 and 14 years who are not enrolled in school.

Around 2,169 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Nepal annually, with 1,313 deaths reported each year.

Together with Kathmandu, the campaign was also launched at the provincial levels.