BEIJING — China will introduce a pilot program to promote the inoculation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and improve the rate and quality of cervical cancer screening nationwide this year, according to a health official.

The National Health Commission (NHC) is working to enhance measures for the tertiary prevention of cervical cancer to protect women's health, said NHC official Song Li.

Song said that China implemented a cervical cancer screening program in major national public health services in 2009.

More than 120 million cervical cancer examinations have been conducted free of charge across the nation, Song added.