Study to Strengthen Cervical Cancer Screening in Jharkhand
Cervical cancer remains a pressing health challenge in Jharkhand, where awareness and access to screening services are limited. To address this, CAPED Trust, with funding support from Becton Dickinson (BD), technical partnership from ICMR-NICPR, and collaboration with Asarfi Cancer Institute as the central testing hub, has launched a 12-month pilot project in Dhanbad district.
The objective of the project is to set up and demonstrate a scalable and replicable hub & spoke model for Cervical Cancer Screening using high performance testing (HPV Extended Genotyping) followed by LBC for HPV positive women. This project aims to increase awareness, screening, detection, referral and linkages to treatment of Cervical Cancer among the women in Dhanbad.
The Government of Jharkhand’s Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) will serve as spokes, offering sample collection and community outreach. Using a sustainable Hub & Spoke model, the project integrates high-performance HPV DNA testing, health system capacity building, and patient navigation to improve screening outcomes.
Healthcare providers, including Medical Officers, ANMs, and ASHAs, receive specialized training to strengthen screening and counseling services. Community mobilization efforts aim to raise awareness, increase participation, and ensure timely follow-up for women who test positive.
Targeting the screening of 8,000 women through clinician-assisted and self-sampling methods, the initiative focuses on early detection and cervical cancer reduction. Continuous monitoring and evaluation will track progress and generate evidence to inform future policy and program scale-up.
This scalable, integrated model aligns with India’s national goal of cervical cancer elimination and offers a replicable framework for expanding access to quality oncology care in underserved districts.