10.18 females screened for cervical cancer till July 20: Health ministry
He said efforts have been made to improve the current proportion of cervical cancer screening in the country.
In a written reply, Jadhav stated that though health is a state subject, Centre has strengthened cancer prevention efforts through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and through promotion of wellness activities and targeted communication at the community level.
Initiatives to increase public awareness about Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) like cervical cancer and promotion of healthy lifestyles include the observation of National Cancer Awareness Day and World Cancer Day, and the use of print, electronic and social media, he said.
Under the National Health Mission, states and Union Territories are provided funds to carry out awareness creation activities, he added.
A population-based initiative for screening, management and prevention of common NCDs including cervical cancer has been rolled out through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs as a part of the comprehensive primary health care under the National Health Mission, Jadhav said.
The cervical cancer screening for women aged 30 to 65 years. It is conducted once in five years by trained health workers using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid at public health facilities, including the Ayushman Arogya Mandir sub-health centres and primary health centres. The positive cases are referred to higher centres for further diagnosis, the minister said.
The Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) conduct risk assessment of individuals in the specified age group by using Community-Based Assessment Checklist forms and bring them to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for screening of cervical cancer and other common NCDs.
The ASHA workers also make public aware about the significance of early detection through regular health check-ups and screenings.
The Union health ministry had launched an NCD Screening Campaign from February 20 to March 31 this year to achieve universal screening of individuals aged 30 years and above, Jadhav said.
The campaign was conducted nationwide at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and other healthcare facilities under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, he stated.
'As per National NCD portal, as on July 20, 2025, out of an eligible population of 25.42 crore females aged 30 years and above, 10.18 crore have been screened for cervical cancer," Jadhav said. PTI PLB RUK RUK
view comments
First Published:
July 25, 2025, 19:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
20 hours ago
- NDTV
Staff Crunch At AIIMS: 40% Faculty Posts Vacant Across India, Says Centre
New Delhi: Government data tabled in the Rajya Sabha has revealed a persistent staffing shortfall across India's premier All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), with over 2,800 faculty positions vacant across 20 functional institutes in the 2025-26 period. The data submitted in written response on Tuesday by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, to a question by MP Javed Ali Khan reveals that more than 40% of faculty positions across various AIIMS remain vacant, with some institutions reporting faculty vacancy rates exceeding 50% in 2025-26. The information, provided in a detailed annexure, outlines state-wise data on sanctioned, filled, and vacant positions for both faculty and non-faculty roles in AIIMS institutes from 2022 to 2025. The situation remains critical even in older and better-established AIIMS like Raipur, Rishikesh, and Jodhpur. At AIIMS New Delhi, the oldest and most established, 462 of 1,306 faculty posts remain vacant in 2025-26, which indicates a 35 per cent vacancy rate, up from 29% the previous year. Several posts remain vacant at AIIMS Jodhpur, 186 vacancies, Rishikesh (147), Raipur (116), Nagpur (139), and Kalyani (139). Newer AIIMS campuses such as Rajkot, Madurai, and Awantipora are operating with minimal or no permanent faculty in teaching positions in place. AIIMS Rajkot has 76 faculty filled out of 183 sanctioned, Madurai has 49 filled out of 183, while Awantipora has 0 faculty filled out of 94 sanctioned. While the faculty situation is alarming, non-teaching positions also show gaps. AIIMS New Delhi has 3,106 non-faculty vacancies out of 13,911 sanctioned posts. AIIMS Raipur and Bhubaneswar each have more than 900 non-faculty positions vacant. Across the newer institutes, many have non-teaching staff vacancy rates between 30-50 per cent. AIIMS Guwahati and Madurai, in particular, continue to show low filled-to-sanctioned ratios. In his reply, the minister stated that "creation of posts and recruitment is a continuous process" and outlined several ongoing initiatives to plug the staffing gaps. There are Standing Selection Committees at each AIIMS for expediting faculty recruitment. A provision to appoint retired professors on a contract basis, in the new AIIMS, up to the age of 70 years, from Institutes of National Importance (INIs) and Government Medical Colleges (GMCs). A visiting faculty scheme has also been introduced to bring in experts from other institutions in India and abroad. Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET) is being conducted for nursing staff, and Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) for Group B and C non-faculty roles to streamline hiring. To select junior and senior resident doctors, AIIMS Delhi conducts the Institute of National Importance Combined (INI-CET) and the Institute of National Importance Super-Specialty (INI-SS) entrance tests twice a year. While some institutes have shown improvement in hiring over the last three years, the rate of recruitment has not kept pace with the sanctioned posts. AIIMS Bhopal, for instance, improved from 199 faculty filled in 2022-23 to 234 in 2025-26, but still has 71 vacancies. AIIMS Bilaspur filled 126 out of 217 posts by 2025-26, improving from 93 in 2022-23. While India now has 20 functional AIIMS, with three more under construction, their operational capacity remains hamstrung. AIIMS Madurai remains only partially functional with 73 per cent faculty positions vacant-49 faculty positions filled and 868 non-faculty vacancies out of 911 sanctioned. While AIIMS Awantipora, Darbhanga, and Rewari are under development with no faculty recruited yet as of 2025-26. While the government has initiated multiple recruitment drives and schemes, the data indicates a persistent gap in staffing levels across both established and newly set-up AIIMS institutions. The continuing shortage of faculty and support staff could have a direct impact on the functioning and service delivery of these key national healthcare institutions.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 40% faculty posts vacant in AIIMS across India: Govt tells Parliament
The faculty vacancies at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are at a four-year high in the academic year 2025-26 at 2,561, the highest since 2022-23, the government has told Parliament. The vacancy rate of 40.2% is equal to that of 2023-24. The vacancy rate of 40.2% is equal to that of 2023-24. (HT PHOTO/Representive) Minister of state for health Prataprao Jadhav gave the information in a written response to Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha lawmaker Javed Ali Khan's questions related to vacancies and the functional status of 23 AIIMS. Jadhav called the creation of posts and recruitment a continuous process and detailed the steps taken to expedite the filling of vacant positions. 'Each AIIMS has a standing selection committee to fast-track recruitment,' he said. He added retired faculty from Institutes of National Importance and government medical colleges can be appointed on contracts up to the age of 70. 'Visiting faculty scheme has been introduced to allow senior faculty from Indian and foreign institutions to teach at the new AIIMS.' Jadhav said 19 AIIMS are fully functional. He added that AIIMS Madurai (Tamil Nadu) is partially functional, and the ones in Awantipora (Jammu and Kashmir), Darbhanga (Bihar), and Rewari (Haryana) are under construction. All but three AIIMS had sanctioned faculty posts starting from 2022-23. At AIIMS Awantipora, 94 faculty posts were sanctioned in 2023-24. The sanctioned strength remains vacant. AIIMS Darbhanga and AIIMS Rewari have not had any faculty posts. A total of 2,099 out of 5,410 sanctioned faculty posts were vacant across 20 AIIMS in 2022-23, a rate of 38.8%. In 2023-24, the number rose to 2,346 out of 5,836 posts across 21 AIIMS, pushing the rate to 40.2%. There was a slight improvement in 2024-25, with 2,236 vacancies out of 5,943 posts at 21 AIIMS, reducing the rate to 37.6%. In 2025-26, faculty vacancies peaked to 2,561 out of 6,376 posts at 21 AIIMS, matching the four-year high vacancy rate of 40.2% in 2023-24. Six AIIMS, including top-ranked Delhi (462), Bhubaneswar (103), Jodhpur (186), Rishikesh (147), Mangalagiri (158), and Gorakhpur (98), recorded their highest faculty vacancies in 2025-26 over the past four years. AIIMS Awantipora (100%), AIIMS Madurai (73.2%), AIIMS Rajkot (58.5%), and AIIMS Mangalagiri (51.1%) faced over 50% faculty vacancies in 2025-26. Fourteen of the institutes had over 30% vacancies. They included AIIMS Delhi (35.4%). AIIMS Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Rishikesh, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, Kalyani, Gorakhpur, Bilaspur, and Deoghar recorded an increase in faculty vacancies in 2025-26 compared to 2022-23. There was a decrease in faculty vacancies from 2022-23 to 2025-26 at AIIMS Bhopal, Raipur, Madurai, Patna, Bathinda, Guwahati, Bibinagar, Raebareli, Rajkot, and Jammu. Former AIIMS Bhopal executive director Ajai Singh said that practical learning of medical concepts gets affected, which impacts the training of doctors, due to a shortage of faculty. 'Doctors avoid working in government hospitals due to the low pay compared to corporate hospitals. Doctors find a more lucrative future in corporate hospitals.' He called this the major reason behind vacancies and asked the government to look into it.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Chikungunya cases surge in Telangana; Centre and State report contradictory figures
Telangana has reportedly witnessed an alarming rise in chikungunya cases in the first half of 2025, with the Union government pegging the number at 1,588 cases between January and June, a ninefold rise from 170 cases during the same period in 2024. However, the State health department has contested the figure, calling it inaccurate. The data was shared in Parliament on July 25 by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, in response to a question on the status of vector-borne diseases across the country. According to the Minister's written reply in the Lok Sabha, several States and Union Territories have seen marginal rise in seasonal diseases. 'Cases of other vector-borne diseases marginally increased in some of the States and Union Territories due to enhanced surveillance and paperless reporting on Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 2025 as compared to corresponding period in 2024,' the Minister's Lok Sabha response said. But Telangana's Directorate of Public Health (DPH) has raised concerns about the accuracy of the chikungunya numbers cited by the Centre. 'The actual number of cases recorded until June is around 240, and those too have been effectively controlled to prevent any further rise. Regular monitoring is being carried out and the situation remains under control.,' said Amar Singh Naik, Additional Director in DPH. He added, 'The number presented in the Lok Sabha is wrong. We don't know how that data was generated, but it is not consistent with our records.' Meanwhile, the Minister's response stated that proactive steps have been taken in anticipation of seasonal outbreaks with the onset of the monsoon. These include intensified surveillance for early detection of vector-borne diseases, anti-larval operations in mosquito breeding hotspots and awareness campaigns at the community level. States, including Telangana, have been supplied with diagnostic kits, treatment materials and budgetary assistance under the National Health Mission.
