IT is unacceptable for the country to continue recording cervical cancer deaths among women when the disease is treatable and preventable, Government has said.
North-Western Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Emmanuel Chihili, said Government had put up interventions to reduce incidence rate for cervical cancer through vaccination against the human papilloma virus (HPV) for girls between 14 and 15 years.
He noted that cervical cancer has an incidence rate of 58 per 100, 000 women and mortality rate of 36.2 per 100,000 women.
Mr Chihili was speaking in Mushindamo yesterday during the launch of the cervical cancer screening equipment and an incinerator.
He however expressed happiness that the district which was only a screening outreach site for Solwezi General Hospital would henceforth be conducting screening with its equipment donated by JSI-SAFE.“Mushindamo was only a screening outreach site for Solwezi General Hospital from June 11 2019 until July 21, 2020 when cervical cancer screening equipment was donated to St. Dorothy rural health centre by a cooperating partner called JSI-SAFE,” he said.
The items donated included a desktop monitor, four laptops, four cameras and other accessories all valued at about K157,000.
Meanwhile, Mushindamo District Health Director, Edgar Mutimushi, was happy that Government and its cooperating partners provided the facilities in the district.
Dr Mutimushi said the equipment comes at a time when there was massive cervical cancer sensitization which had seen many women turn up for the screening at St. Dorothy rural health facility.
And Headman Kazembe of Senior Chief Kalilele’s chiefdom commended Government for considering women among beneficiaries of various developmental programmes.. – ZANIS
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