The HPV vaccine can prevent most cases of cervical cancer; however, the vaccine is not free of charge in Türkiye. Most women cannot get this life-saving vaccine due to its high price. Women in Türkiye have been demanding the human papillomaviruses (HPV) vaccines be free of charge for everyone and be added to the routine vaccination schedule in Türkiye for years.

Statement from the Minister of Health

After years of women’s struggle, the HPV vaccine will be offered free of charge in Türkiye by the end of 2025.

Türkiye’s Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu told a TV channel that the vaccine would be offered free of charge in the country by the end of 2025. The free vaccines will be first offered to children aged 13, he added.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the name of a group of viruses that can cause genital warts or cancer. It is thought to be the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world. There are more than 200 types of the HPV. Based on their association with cervical cancer and precursor lesions, HPVs are grouped to high-risk and low-risk HPV types.