Reliance-owned Karkinos Healthcare Completes HPV DNA Screening for Over One Lakh Women Across India
Mumbai, June 24 (TNT): Karkinos Healthcare, a wholly owned step-down subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL),on Wednesday said it has completed HPV DNA screening for more than one lakh women across India, marking a significant milestone in cervical cancer prevention and early detection efforts.
In a release, the company said the achievement reflects its focus on expanding access to high-quality cervical cancer screening and ensuring continuity of care for women who test positive.
Karkinos Healthcare has adopted the World Health Organization-recommended HPV DNA testing methodology and integrated it with a digitally enabled care model that includes awareness generation, screening, tracking, triage, patient navigation and follow-up services.
Commenting on the milestone, Dr. Neerja Bhatla, Consultant, Early Detection and Women Wellness at Karkinos Healthcare and Padma Shri awardee, said HPV DNA testing remains the most reliable primary screening tool for cervical cancer and stressed the importance of ensuring that women who test positive receive timely diagnosis and treatment.
Senior Oncology Advisor Dr. Goura Kishore Rath said the challenge in India has been extending high-quality screening services to women in smaller towns and rural areas.
He noted that the programme’s focus on follow-up care was critical to achieving meaningful public health outcomes.
Chief Growth Officer – Women Wellness and Head of Distributed Cancer Care Network, Sripriya Rao, said the initiative was designed to ensure that women, particularly those from underserved communities, were not lost in the healthcare system after screening.
She dedicated the milestone to the late Dr. R. Sankaranarayanan, a globally recognised cancer prevention expert, whose work laid the foundation for large-scale cervical cancer screening initiatives in India.
The screening programme has been implemented through multiple models, including public health initiatives, public-private partnerships, CSR-supported projects, district-level screening campaigns, nurse-assisted and self-sampling programmes, and outreach efforts targeting underserved and high-risk populations.
Karkinos said a substantial proportion of the women screened belonged to communities that would otherwise have limited access to preventive healthcare services.
The company said the infrastructure and learnings from the programme could support wider adoption of organised cervical cancer screening in India and contribute to national efforts aimed at eliminating cervical cancer.
Karkinos Healthcare operates a technology-led oncology platform that focuses on cancer prevention, early detection, diagnostics, treatment and research through its distributed cancer care model.
The company said it remains committed to improving access to affordable and quality cancer care across India.
TNT KS
