Desk Report: Why are rural women still reaching cervical cancer care late?

- Many women in India, especially in rural areas, still do not openly talk about reproductive health problems, from menstruation to abnormal bleeding. Sometimes, they do not know whether what they are experiencing is normal or something that requires medical attention.

- Even though cervical cancer is largely preventable, its condition in India needs to be studied and understood. Globally, cervical cancer remains a major public health problem. WHO estimates that around 604,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer and around 280,000 died from it in 2024.

- Surekha's story began with a symptom she did not understand. “I suddenly started bleeding and did not know from where and how to seek help.” By the time she received her diagnosis, she had already spent months moving between hospitals, taking medicines and saline, while continuing to worry about her children and whether she would be able to work.