Commemorating the International Women’s Day and with a focus to drive awareness on women’s health, Fortis La Femme and Delhi Gynaecological Forum South (DGFS) organised the first ever walkathon by gynaecologists at Connaught Place in New Delhi on March 5.

The aim of the walkathon was to promote awareness about women’s health and communicate the importance of vaccination and regular screening which can help early detection and treatment of otherwise life-threatening cancers.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. In India, cervical and breast cancer form the top two most common cancers in women with an estimated 70,000 deaths per year caused by cervical cancer as of data collected by the WHO in 2016.

The walkathon marks the first of its kind initiative that brought together over 200 gynaecologists from all top hospitals in the city, raising awareness on the need for women to prioritise health.

Speaking on the occasion, Anika Parashar, COO, La Femme said: “Women have always been successfully juggling various roles, that of a mother, wife, an entrepreneur or at various positions in the corporate world. However they tend to keep their own health at the bottom of their priority. With this unique walkathon by so many eminent gynaecologists from all the top hospitals in Delhi, we want to drive the message of priority health. We can beat cancer by prioritising vaccination and regular screening.”

The walkathon is the brainchild of Dr Meenakshi Ahuja, President DGFS and Dr Shelly Singh, Vice President DGFS and was ably supported by IMA, Delhi under the leadership of Dr Savita Puri, President IMA. The three doctors echoed the key message behind the walkathon, that self-awareness is the best defence couldn’t ring truer in case of fight against breast cancer and cervical cancer.