–in bid to help women at risk for cervical cancer know their status before it’s too late

ANSA McAL, one of the leading distributors here of prescription medicines and medical supplies, on Friday partnered with the American firm, Mel-Mont Medical, to donate 100 human papillomavirus (HPV) testing kits to the local NGO, Giving Hope Foundation.

The kits at reference, the Mía by XytoTest, are among the latest on the market where self-testing is concerned, and according to the marketers, is a comprehensive diagnostic system developed and patented by Mel Mont Medical.

This innovative system, they say, includes medical devices that allow women at high risk for the HPV, or even cervical cancer, to self-collect cells in any environment without assistance, so as those ‘cultures’ can be later sent to be properly analysed.

According to Andrel Griffith, ANSA McAL’s divisional head of health and wellness, with Guyana being the first country in the English-speaking Caribbean in which this system will be launched, the first 100 kits will be distributed through the Giving Hope Foundation, where a mini trial test will be conducted to ensure that the brand, Mía by XytoTest, is ‘top notch’, before formally introducing on the local market on a large scale.

He further noted that systems are in place whereby after each kit is used, it can be sent overseas to complete the testing process, and have the results made available within 14 days.
Receiving the donation on the behalf of the Giving Hope Foundation was Dr. Latoya Gooding, who said that not only is she pleased to be in receipt of the kits, but she’s also excited about what it portends.

“I am even more excited about the kit, because it allows a woman to be in the comfort and privacy of her home, do the test, and mail it back to us,” Dr. Gooding said, adding:
“We are also sure that we will get the adequate amount of specimens needed to complete the test.”
Dr. Gooding also noted that training sessions will be conducted with medical personnel and persons who will be using the kits, so as to ensure that they are well informed about the product and its usage.

And in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Roche Pharma, another ‘big-name’ in the pharmaceutical business, has, through ANSA McAL, also provided a monetary donation to the Giving hope Foundation to help 10 women get tested for breast cancer.