THE Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) has embarked on a partnership with the Rotary Club of Georgetown to launch a campaign to address cervical cancer in Guyana.The Rotary Club will be supported by Scotia Bank to make a financial contribution in support of the campaign which will be rolled out by GRPA, providing medical, counselling and educational services.

Medical outreach sessions will be carried out in rural and hinterland communities, where the prevalence is high and where women lack access to services.

The campaign was scheduled to kick off with the handing over of a cheque to the GRPA yesterday at noon at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street, Georgetown.
Cervical cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide, including Guyana, where the rate is significantly high.

In June 2014, the GRPA — with support from the International Planned Parenthood Association (IPPF) and JHPIEGO (an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health — carried out a regional training of VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) providers from Belize, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, St Lucia, Curacao, Suriname and Guyana to detect cervical cancer and to treat pre-cancerous cells.

This included the training of doctors as trainers to ensure that medical expertise is available locally. On this occasion, the GRPA launched its VIA screening and cryo-therapy services; and 230 women were screened in three days, of which 11 were positive, three had large lesions and two cancer. A worrying factor was the number of young women in their early 20s who tested positive.
The October to December, 2015 campaign will provide free VIA screening and cryo-therapy, breast examination and also pap smear (if required). This move is seen as being very important in increasing the accessibility of diagnostic and early treatment services to numerous women in low income as well as in rural and indigenous communities. (Rabindra Rooplall)