Industries and Commerce Minister T.G. Bharath asked the general public to utilise government services in medical and health sector and stressed the need to take precautionary measures to maintain good health.
Mr. Bharath participated on Tuesday in the administration of HPV vaccine to girls aged between 14 and 15 years to prevent cervical cancer at the primary health care centre in A Camp in the city. The Minister said the State government is administering the vaccine, which costs ₹4,000, free of charge to girls and urged those who participated in the inaugural event to spread awareness about the facility extended by the government.
The Minister said the Centre had introduced the vaccine into the market after it was tested and had achieved a 96 per cent success rate and urged girls between 14 and 15 years to avail the facility. The administration of the vaccine was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ajmer, Rajasthan, on February 28 and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada. In Kurnool, the State government is planning to administer the vaccine to nearly 30,000 girls, he said.
District Medical and Health Officer Dr. Bhaskar said that only one dose of vaccine had to be administered and it will be given only at government hospitals. The vaccine will not be administered in schools, he added.
