Tata Trusts’ Public Health Awareness Campaign Highlights Reasons for Cervical Cancer Detection Delays, Promoting Early Screening
Sometimes, one of the hardest battles a woman fights is the one with herself – the doubt, silence, and hesitation to put herself first. Tata Trusts’ public health awareness campaign, ‘Khud Se Jeet,’ captures this quiet conflict, urging women to seek timely cervical cancer screening and take charge of their health.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, claiming nearly 75,000 lives each year—often due to late detection. Despite being highly treatable in its early stages, with 95% of cases successfully managed if caught early, many women do not get screened in time. Millions of women continue overlooking symptoms – either due to a significant lack of awareness about cervical cancer and its symptoms, or fear, stigma, and a culture of silence that contributes to delayed screening.
Tata Trusts’ years of grassroots engagement – including by conducting over 26,000 cervical cancer screenings across Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra in the last year, in collaboration with state governments and partners – has uncovered deep insights, revealing emotional and societal barriers that keep women from seeking help, even when it’s available. Through its public health awareness initiatives, the Trusts aims to prompt women to replace hesitation with action.
To spearhead awareness, Tata Trusts hosted a panel discussion, bringing together leading experts from oncology, psycho-oncology, and patient support to illustrate the problem, barriers to screening, key steps, and explore how we can change the conversation on cervical cancer in India. The session featured Dr Gauravi Mishra, Deputy Director, Center for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre; Dr. Savita Goswami, Psycho-Oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital; and Vandana Gupta, cancer survivor and founder of V Care Foundation.
The session was moderated by Dr Rudradatta Shrotriya, Head Medical Operations, Tata Cancer Care Foundation, who commented, “Cervical cancer’s projected burden in India stands at 1.5 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), with the highest impact among women aged 30–65 in segments with the lowest awareness and access. The key challenges remain low awareness and inhibition: women who experience early symptoms do not connect them to cervical cancer, and those who do may delay action due to shame or fear. Many also are unaware that risk can exist even in the absence of symptoms, which makes screening vital. By raising awareness and taking steps to change the conversation around cervical cancer, we hope to foster a culture where women feel empowered to prioritize their health.”
Tata Trusts also unveiled a social awareness film, highlighting a woman’s inner conflict and journey through self-doubt, denial, and hesitation to a moment of transformation, where she chooses to pay attention to her symptoms and seek screening. By amplifying such narratives, the Trusts’ aim to inspire more women to listen to their bodies and prioritize their health.
Discussing this, Shilpi Ghosh, Communications Specialist, Tata Trusts, said, “Khud Se Jeet was born fromlistening to women — their silence, their fears, their hesitation. Cervical cancer isn’t just a medical issue; it’s an emotional one, hidden in whispers and what-ifs. We realized that lack of access isn’t the only hurdle; there is also the doubt that tells a woman not to act, speak, or put herself first. This campaign is our attempt to give her that nudge, to say: you matter, your health matters. Through every frame, every word, and every touchpoint, we want her to know that winning this battle within could mean gaining the life she deserves.”
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