26/01/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
SES called for the inclusion of the HPV vaccine in the national immunization program and its provision free of charge, citing the increase in HPV related cancers.
The Central Executive Committee of the Health and Social Service Workers Union (SES) announced via its social media accounts that HPV related cancers continue to increase.
In its statement, SES emphasized that immunization is the most effective method for combating and preventing HPV related diseases. Stressing that cancers caused by HPV can be prevented through vaccination, the statement underlined that providing the HPV vaccine free of charge through the national health system is a requirement of the right to health, which is a fundamental human right.
The statement also recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends including the HPV vaccine in countries’ national immunization programs. According to WHO data, as of 2024, 137 countries worldwide have incorporated the HPV vaccine into their national vaccination schedules.
Citing data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the statement noted that in 28 of 30 European countries, girls and boys aged 9–14 are vaccinated against HPV as part of national immunization programs, and that in 29 European countries, the cost of the vaccine is covered by national health systems.
SES: We call on the Ministry of Health to keep its promise
The statement also stressed that no more time should be wasted in Türkiye regarding the HPV vaccine, which has been included in the national immunization programs of 137 countries worldwide.
Voicing its demands, the union stated:
“As a starting point, two doses of the 9-valent HPV vaccine should be provided free of charge to all girls who have reached the ages of 12 and 13 (the 12–13 age cohort). Thereafter, we demand that immunization be sustained by vaccinating all girls when they reach the age of 12. In order to live and to protect life, we call on the Ministry of Health to keep its promise and to abandon its approach of viewing preventive health services as ‘a burden on the budget.’”
Tags: human rights, women, media, life, health, lgbti
