News Center- Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) female MPs proposed a bill to the Turkish Parliament demanding the vaccine for the HPV, or human papillomavirus, a common virus that can lead to cervical cancer and five other types of cancers later in life, to be free for children aged 9-12 and adults and to declare 2022 as the “Year of Combating HPV” to raise awareness.

“The cost of these vaccines is more than 2,000 TL and this amount is very high for most people. Many people cannot be vaccinated due to its high price. Currently, people who want to be vaccinated in Turkey have to pay approximately 600 Lira for a single dose. Children aged 9-12 and women should be vaccinated free,” HDP Van MP Muazzez Orhan Işık said.

Women don’t have a budget to protect themselves from many cancers, particularly from cervical cancer, the proposed bill says. “The inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the national vaccination program is mandatory for public health,” HDP Urfa MP Ayşe Sürücü said.

570 000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer worldwide and about 311 000 women died from the disease in 2018, according to the World Health Organization.