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Roche Diagnostics India launches #BeYourOwnShero Campaign to educate women on cervical cancer prevention

• By Newsdesk
• Mumbai
• Apr 10, 2023

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Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in India, impacting over 1.23 lakh women each year. The disease kills approximately 77,000 Indian women every year. Regardless of the fact that cancers can be prevented, there is a lack of knowledge about effective and reliable screening tools. 

Roche Diagnostics India has launched the #BeYourOwnShero campaign in response to the stigma, fear, and lack of active platforms that drive conversations about India's need for cervical cancer screening programs, both at the public health and consumer levels. Vidya Balan, an epitome of courage and a pioneer in the portrayal of women in Bollywood, became the campaign's driving force.

On joining the campaign, Actress Vidya Balan said, "An average Indian woman wakes up every morning to fight the smaller battles of life." Getting her children ready for school, sprinting to catch a bus, going to work, and trying to keep her life afloat. But in her daily routine, she rarely considers her own health and well-being. I joined the campaign to educate women across the country about the importance of cervical cancer screening. For example, I was astounded to learn that this is the only cancer that can be avoided if screened early. It is critical that we women challenge the status quo and take the necessary steps to focus on our health and create the much-needed systemic change in healthcare outcomes."

#BeYourOwnShero is an integrated campaign that includes social and digital advocacy initiatives, partnerships, and on-the-ground activities to educate women about cervical cancer facts, dispel myths about vaccination versus screening, and inform them about the gold standard HPV test. The campaign includes the launch of four Hero films on Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, as well as the creation of a dedicated resource hub .

The campaign is part of Roche's long-term commitment and ongoing initiative to drive meaningful change in women's health by leveraging partnerships, communication, funding, and action to help close gaps in women's health and reduce the burden of cervical cancer in India, which accounts for nearly 25% of global cases. As part of the campaign's first phase, Roche Diagnostics India provided free HPV screening to all female employees and female family members of male employees in the required age range (35-65 years). With 82% of eligible employees chose screening, Roche Diagnostics India decided to expand its efforts to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in India.

So far, the two Hero films have received approximately 3 million views and have trended on Facebook and YouTube. In the month of March, Roche's social media follower growth increased by 15%, and its YouTube follower growth increased by more than 80%.

The company has also partnered with the Cancer Awareness, Prevention, and Early Detection Trust (CAPED) to raise HPV screening awareness among working women in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. As part of this initiative, CAPED will reach out to 10,000 women across these five metropolises and hold approximately 100 workshops.

Furthermore, Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, President of the Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of India (FOGSI), Dr. Rishma Pai, honorary consultant gynaecologist at Lilavati, Jaslok, and Hinduja Health Care Hospitals in Mumbai, Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, Co-founder of Bloom IVF, and Dr. Priya Ganesh, Chairperson ONCOLOGY Committee FOGSI have also engaged with Roche to build advocacy at clinical levels.

Manjira Sharma, Head of Communication & CSR, Roche Diagnostics & Neighbouring Markets said, "Our #BeYourOwnShero campaign focuses on educating women and inspiring them to take control of their health and fight debilitating diseases such as cervical cancer which is preventable. We are extremely happy to share that our dream to end cervical cancer in India is supported by Vidya Balan and institutional partners such as the CAPED to further strengthen our efforts."

Roche has also launched the #MyStoryForChange initiative, a one-of-a-kind platform for women to share stories about gaps in healthcare access. Thus far, Roche has collected over 500 stories from women all over the world.