Union Health Ministry and WHO launch women’s health campaign in Delhi Metro

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Wednesday launched a month-long awareness campaign across the Delhi Metro to promote the health and well-being of women and girls. The initiative, unveiled at Sultanpur Metro Station, will run through December and January, using metro trains and select stations to broadcast messages on women’s safety, mental health, digital inclusion, TB prevention and the importance of adhering to the PCPNDT Act.

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the Delhi Metro offers a powerful platform to reach millions of commuters each day. “Leveraging the Delhi Metro ensures these critical messages reach millions of daily commuters, strengthening awareness and empowering women and girls across the city,” she said.

She stressed that the campaign aims to highlight issues ranging from gender-based safety concerns to the misuse of emerging technologies for prenatal sex determination. “The campaign also aims to ensure compliance and raise awareness of the PCPNDT Act, and urge people not to go for gender determination,” Srivastava noted, adding that female foeticide remains a pressing challenge that the Act seeks to curb.

The drive will also amplify the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, with Delhi continuing to record a high number of tuberculosis cases. Between January and October 2025, the city reported over 98,309 TB cases, while nearly 8.78 lakh people were screened and 3.8 lakh chest X-rays conducted to accelerate detection. Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia, said healthy women form the foundation of strong families and societies. As the global campaign on gender-based violence concluded, she said this new initiative underscores two core messages, “Healthy Women = Healthy Nations” and “#BecozSheMatters.”

She emphasised that women’s physical and mental health is crucial “not just for their well-being, but most importantly for our well-being.”