"Australia on track to be first country to eliminate cervical cancer": Australian PM Anthony Albanese
Sep 21, 2024
Wilmington (Delaware) [US], September 22 : Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that the country is on track to become the first nation in the world to eliminate cervical cancer.
At the Quad Leaders' Cancer Moonshot event, Albanese announced that Australia was expanding their funding commitment towards the elimination partnership of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Australia is on track to be the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer. Today, I can announce that Australia is expanding our funding commitment to the elimination partnership in the Indo-Pacific for cervical cancer," he said.
Albanese recalled the time of the very first Quad Leaders summit, where US President Biden agreed to work together to improve the COVID vaccines, due to which more than 400 million vaccine doses made their way to the communities in the Indo-Pacific region, saving as well as changing lives.
He emphasised that the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative is also about that and called the initiative a "signature policy" of President Biden.
"At the very first Quad Leaders summit, chaired by President Biden, the Quad agreed to work together to improve access to COVID vaccines. As a direct result, more than 400 million vaccine doses made their way into communities in the Indo-Pacific. That changed lives and saved lives. That's what the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative is all about as well. This program builds on one of President Biden's signature policy initiatives, not just in his term as president but throughout his time in public life... We're proud to stand with the United States, with India and with Japan in this shared effort to change lives for the better," he said.
The Cancer Moonshot is a White House initiative to bring renewed leadership to the fight against cancer, facilitate new collaborations, and drive progress across the cancer journey utilising all facets of the oncology community--federal agencies and departments, private companies, healthcare providers, patient groups, philanthropies, and all Americans.
The Cancer Moonshot has spurred tremendous action across the federal government and from the public and private sectors, building a strong foundation for the work ahead. To date, the Cancer Moonshot has announced more than 95 new programmes, policies, and resources to address five priority actions. 170 private companies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and patient groups have also stepped up with new actions and collaborations.
On February 4, World Cancer Day, the U.S. Mission in Australia launched an initiative highlighting an important dimension of the U.S.-Australia alliance's shared experience on the research, prevention, and treatment of cancer.
