- 38 mobile units to provide free breast and cervical cancer screening across all districts in Tamil Nadu
- Focus on early cancer detection in rural and semi-urban areas
- Rs 36-crore HPV vaccination drive announced for girls aged 14 and below
Tamil Nadu is set to roll out India’s first ‘Women’s Wellness on Wheels’ initiative, deploying 38 mobile medical units to offer free breast and cervical cancer screening across every district in the state. Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will inaugurate the service within the next 10 days.
The mobile units, designed as fully equipped screening clinics, will provide Pap smears, breast examinations, and diagnostic imaging, ensuring early detection of cancer among women, particularly those in rural and semi-urban regions where access to preventive healthcare remains limited. The programme forms part of the Rs 41-crore Women Wellness in Week project, aimed at strengthening women’s public health systems and setting a model that other states could adopt.
Emphasizing the importance of accessible screening, the Health Minister noted that these vehicles are the first of their kind in India and will conduct exclusive camps, bringing comprehensive healthcare directly to women's doorsteps.
Alongside the initiative, the Health Minister also participated in a Social Welfare Department event, distributing savings certificates and maturity funds to 118 girl beneficiaries from South Chennai and Puducherry. Under the Chief Minister's Girl Child Protection Scheme, girls will receive Rs 50,000 on attaining 18 years, supporting education and discouraging child marriage and infanticide. Eligibility for the scheme has been expanded, with annual income limits raised to Rs 1.2 lakh.
The government also confirmed a Rs 36-crore HPV vaccination drive, offering free vaccines for girls aged 14 and below in private hospitals to prevent cervical cancer, further strengthening Tamil Nadu’s commitment to women’s health and empowerment.
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