Trailblazer in Women's Health: Dr. Neerja Bhatla's Quest to Eradicate Cervical Cancer

Dr Neerja Bhatla, a renowned figure in obstetrics and gynaecology, has been honored with the Padma Shri for her pioneering work in cervical cancer detection and prevention. Over the past 35 years, she has significantly contributed to HPV vaccination trials and established guidelines for cervical cancer management, particularly in low-resource settings.

Dr Neerja Bhatla, the former head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS Delhi, has been bestowed with the prestigious Padma Shri award. This recognition comes as a result of her remarkable contributions to the detection, prevention, and management of cervical cancer.

Bhatla has been pivotal in developing resource-oriented guidelines for cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination. Her efforts over the last 35 years have been primarily aimed at improving outcomes in low-resource settings.

She played an instrumental role in trials that verified the efficacy of the Serum Institute's indigenous HPV vaccine. Even after her retirement from AIIMS, Bhatla has continued her research endeavors, aiming to make cervical cancer prevention more accessible through affordable testing and vaccination strategies.

(With inputs from agencies.)