Empowering Action: CAPED India and the Path to Cervical Cancer Elimination

CAPED India is one of more than 50 partners of the Sabin-hosted Global HPV Consortium. The Consortium creates knowledge-sharing and collaboration opportunities to strengthen collective action to prevent HPV — through vaccination — and eliminate cervical cancer with prompt screenings and treatments. Almost all cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV. 

In a conversation with Sabin, Gupta talks about her organization’s origins a decade ago, and how — inspired by the Global HPV Consortium — it is now coalescing with other groups in the country to help create an India where cervical cancer is an artifact of the past. 

How did CAPED India begin and why did it focus on cervical cancer?

CAPED India started in 2014, a year after I lost my mother to lung cancer. I met others who had lost loved ones to cancer and we decided to focus on cervical cancer based on the urgings of a nationally renowned physician who pointed out that cervical cancer deaths were completely preventable if detected early. This led us to focus on awareness and screening for cervical cancer. We later began to work on breast and oral cancers as well. 

What is CAPED India’s cervical cancer-free district model, and what was the idea behind it?

The model includes awareness and demand generation as well as bringing screening camps to communities and helping women navigate follow-up treatment. We noticed that while the government has a policy for providing diagnostic services in primary health facilities, it wasn’t happening on the ground. And this is how we stepped in — essentially to connect those dots and fill that screening gap. We aim to systematically and sustainably implement guidelines to ensure beneficiaries receive the intended support.

What were some of the biggest barriers you faced in implementing this model?

The biggest barrier was the lack of awareness about cervical cancer. Nobody wants to fund you for awareness as it’s hard for stakeholders to see the impact of that. We had to educate stakeholders and raise funds. We had to build trust within communities. We had to get them to believe in us, and then we had to create a model where they would come and be screened. So, it was a real journey. Now, because of the global movement, people are talking more about cervical cancer. 

What have been your biggest learnings from this journey?

Nobody can do this alone, so we have to find models of collaboration. Even the government cannot do this alone, and so it’s imperative that all these arms work together — government, non-profits, and other stakeholders across the spectrum of care. While we do need to expand and upgrade policies, policy is just the starting point.  

The recently created Cervical Cancer Elimination Consortium – India  (a country-based model spurred by the Global HPV Consortium) is promising because it recognizes that there is a continuum of care for cervical cancer and that it is important to bring in different areas of expertise for a comprehensive approach to prevention and treatment. Everybody in this group is working on some part of that care journey and they are all action-oriented. 

How has being part of the Global HPV Consortium helped CAPED India?

The Global HPV Consortium has been invaluable in connecting us with others working on similar projects, both globally and within India. Until then, we and others were working in silos. The Consortium has helped us see the bigger picture. Thanks to this alliance, we have been able to bridge those gaps and get support from partners working on other aspects of that care journey and forge new connections in India. The new collaborations have been a big boost to our efforts and it’s because of the Global HPV Consortium. 

What are your thoughts on the readiness of countries to achieve cervical cancer elimination?

Countries are increasingly aware and supportive of cervical cancer prevention strategies. We have all the plans in place but how we translate this into action to actually save lives is a challenge. These deaths are unacceptable because they are preventable. We should be completely unreasonable about wanting to eliminate deaths from cervical cancer. It’s sad to think that some people are dying simply because they don’t have access to information. Fixing these disparities requires collaborative, bite-sized strategies and a focus on both vaccination and screening. 

What message do you want people to most take away from this conversation?

Everyone can be an ambassador for cervical cancer elimination. By spreading awareness and encouraging discussions, we can create traction and drive change. Collaboration across various sectors and disciplines is crucial to making significant progress. 

The fact that India carries one of the largest burdens of global cervical cancer deaths (20%) is a call to action. We need to build momentum and involve everyone in the cause. If you know about it, talk about it, and become an advocate for cervical cancer elimination.