THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) recently collaborated with the Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Unit to offer a week of free pap smears and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) screening to women across Guyana in a bid to promote the early detection of cancer. The one-week outreach, to observe Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, began at the Goed Intent Health Centre in Region Three before being rolled out in several regions across the country. GTT’s Pinktober Coordinator, Diana Gittens, said the company is delighted to contribute to this outreach as it offers women in Guyana access to screening and testing – free of cost. “It is my hope that women in the respective areas where the free tests and screening were offered, took advantage of the availability to know their status. As GTT has reminded over the years, ‘early detection saves lives’ and this exercise was aimed at doing just that – helping as many women in Guyana to fight against cancer through early detection and medical care,” she stated.

National VIA Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Martin Campbell, said he and his team were pleased once again to be collaborating with GTT to provide VIA and free pap screening during this year’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. “We hope to continue building on this relationship until every woman in Guyana is screened for Cervical Cancer,” said Dr. Campbell.
The Cervical Cancer screenings also occurred at the Rosignol Health Centre, the Mahaica Health Centre, the Kuru Kururu Centre and the Mahdia District Hospital; the outreach concluded at the Craig Health Centre. Gittens noted that the Linden Cancer Society and Berbice Cancer Society will host screenings during the month of February for women in their regions.