HPV vaccination drive at Sion Hospital gives about 600 doses to medical students and staff
M|O|C Cancer Care Foundation, with the hospital's MARD unit and Rotary Club, held the drive at Mumbai's Sion Hospital on Thursday.
A large-scale Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive was held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, known as Sion Hospital, in Mumbai. It was organised by M|O|C Cancer Care Foundation (MOCF), the not-for-profit arm of M|O|C Cancer Care, in association with the hospital's MARD unit and Rotary Club.
Between 10 am and 8 pm, about 600 doses were administered to medical and paramedical students and hospital staff. Under the same model, vaccination drives have earlier been held at Nair Hospital, J. J. Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Poddar Ayurvedic College and Cooper Hospital.
According to MOCF, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in India. It is also among the few cancers for which an effective and proven means of prevention exists. The foundation says almost all cases of the cancer are linked to long-term persistent infection with high-risk types of HPV, and that the vaccine can give long-term protection against this infection. Even so, evidence of HPV vaccination in India remains limited, and awareness of the vaccine is uneven in some parts of the health system.
The drive focuses on this gap. MOCF says vaccinating medical and paramedical students, resident doctors and hospital staff has a double benefit. People at the start of their careers are protected, and the state gets trained health workers who will spread awareness of HPV vaccination for years in counselling centres, wards and community health centres. The foundation says a health worker who has been vaccinated can advise patients on the vaccine more effectively.
For MOCF, a vaccination camp is not a standalone activity. The foundation works across the full chain of cancer care: prevention and awareness on one side, and on the other early detection through OncoRaksha, a mobile mammography and Pap smear programme, and patient guidance, linkage to treatment and financial support through OncoSahara. The foundation says the prevention stage is the least visible in this chain but has the greatest long-term impact.
MOCF's role does not end after the shot. Every participant is entered in a follow-up register, and reminders and coordination are arranged so that the next dose is taken on time and the vaccination is not left incomplete.
The drive rests on a collaboration model that MOCF has now run six times. The foundation takes responsibility for vaccine supply, the cold chain, medical protocols, paperwork and follow-up for the next dose. The host institution provides the campus, the group of beneficiaries and the coordination needed for the event, a role played this time by Sion Hospital's MARD unit. Service partners help with awareness and necessary resources, a role played in this drive by Rotary Club. The foundation says no single organisation has all three capabilities, and each partner adds its own strength, which is what lets the programme work effectively.
Dr Ninad Salunkhe, chief executive officer of M|O|C Cancer Care Foundation, said: "The problem of cervical cancer in India is not one that the medical field cannot solve. The real difficulty is delivering the service effectively to people. The vaccine is available, screening is available and treatment is available, but a structured system is needed to carry a person from one stage to the next. We are building this system from both ends: preventive vaccination in medical colleges today, and guidance for women who test positive at our screening camps tomorrow. Working through institutions, rather than apart from their systems, helps sustain this initiative over the long term."
Dr Shubham Dugamwar, president of the MARD unit at Sion Hospital, said: "We are grateful to the MOC Foundation for taking up the initiative of free HPV vaccination for medical and paramedical staff with the help of Rotary Club. This initiative has strengthened our social responsibility to serve underprivileged and needy communities on priority."
MOCF has appealed to medical colleges, nursing institutions, hospitals and corporate campuses in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of Maharashtra to come forward and host such drives. The foundation aims to turn institutional HPV vaccination from an isolated, occasional camp into a regular, repeatable programme with fixed protocols, clear responsibilities for stakeholders and a follow-up system. This would make prevention part of the regular course of healthcare rather than an occasional exercise.
M|O|C Cancer Care Foundation (MOCF) is the not-for-profit arm of M|O|C Cancer Care. It works on cancer awareness, prevention, early detection, screening and patient support in underprivileged communities. M|O|C Cancer Care is itself one of India's leading community oncology networks.
