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THE Health Ministry will be joining the rest of world to observe Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, planned activities for which will be held during January.
Some of the activities the ministry will be pulling off are a national week of screening for cervical cancer from January 14-18, 2013, followed by educational sessions in schools the next week, and on January 23, a vigil at Parliament Buildings. This year’s theme is “Early Detection Saves Lives.
With regard to the national week of screening, the ministry will be partnering with the several corporate entities, including Qualfon, Republic Bank, GRA, Ashmins and Laparkhan.
Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran reiterated the need for women who are sexually active to get screened so that they are aware of their health. He added that hundreds of medical professionals have been trained to carry out the VIA which is a method used to diagnose cervical cancer.
Visual Inspection Using Ascetic Acid (VIA) is basically the use of table acid which, when applied to the cervix, causes a reaction that enables medical personnel to carry out the diagnostics when viewing the cervix.
Minister Ramsaran pointed out apart from 18 service delivery points, the VIA service is being expanded through the medical outreach programme. He explained that use of the VIA allows women to be screened and treated in one visit, when compared to other medical examinations, such as a pap smear, which may take some time for the test results to be issued.
Nurse Patricia Singh, acknowledging the importance of being screened for cervical cancer, recognized that many women still do not understand what the VIA screening is. Nevertheless, she is urging women to visit the VIA clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital to access the service being provided by friendly professionals, particularly since women are the nucleus of the family.
Nurse Patricia expressed appreciation to Minister Ramsaran for the fervent support he has been giving to the programme since its start in 2009. Since then, over 26,000 women were screened with 150 suspect cancer cases, some of which were diagnosed by the gynaecology and oncology department and 2500 women were tested positive and treated immediately.
Medex Lurlene Ramsoondar, who is attached to the VIA clinic at GPHC, emphasized that cervical cancer is almost 100 percent preventable; in this regard, women between the ages of 20-49 are urged to do the screening.
She noted that apart from the VIA service, women can also have their genitals checked for STIs or warts and the abdomen can also be checked for fibroids for which referrals are made for further evaluations by an oncologist.
Medex Zeta Alberts noted that Guyana has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the Latin American and western hemisphere, hence the need for a robust screening and treatment programme.
The inclusion of the VIA programme in the outreach package has seen many women accessing this type of medical programme; this is also due to their increased knowledge of the importance of being screened. (GINA)
Some of the activities the ministry will be pulling off are a national week of screening for cervical cancer from January 14-18, 2013, followed by educational sessions in schools the next week, and on January 23, a vigil at Parliament Buildings. This year’s theme is “Early Detection Saves Lives.
With regard to the national week of screening, the ministry will be partnering with the several corporate entities, including Qualfon, Republic Bank, GRA, Ashmins and Laparkhan.
Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran reiterated the need for women who are sexually active to get screened so that they are aware of their health. He added that hundreds of medical professionals have been trained to carry out the VIA which is a method used to diagnose cervical cancer.
Visual Inspection Using Ascetic Acid (VIA) is basically the use of table acid which, when applied to the cervix, causes a reaction that enables medical personnel to carry out the diagnostics when viewing the cervix.
Minister Ramsaran pointed out apart from 18 service delivery points, the VIA service is being expanded through the medical outreach programme. He explained that use of the VIA allows women to be screened and treated in one visit, when compared to other medical examinations, such as a pap smear, which may take some time for the test results to be issued.
Nurse Patricia Singh, acknowledging the importance of being screened for cervical cancer, recognized that many women still do not understand what the VIA screening is. Nevertheless, she is urging women to visit the VIA clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital to access the service being provided by friendly professionals, particularly since women are the nucleus of the family.
Nurse Patricia expressed appreciation to Minister Ramsaran for the fervent support he has been giving to the programme since its start in 2009. Since then, over 26,000 women were screened with 150 suspect cancer cases, some of which were diagnosed by the gynaecology and oncology department and 2500 women were tested positive and treated immediately.
Medex Lurlene Ramsoondar, who is attached to the VIA clinic at GPHC, emphasized that cervical cancer is almost 100 percent preventable; in this regard, women between the ages of 20-49 are urged to do the screening.
She noted that apart from the VIA service, women can also have their genitals checked for STIs or warts and the abdomen can also be checked for fibroids for which referrals are made for further evaluations by an oncologist.
Medex Zeta Alberts noted that Guyana has one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the Latin American and western hemisphere, hence the need for a robust screening and treatment programme.
The inclusion of the VIA programme in the outreach package has seen many women accessing this type of medical programme; this is also due to their increased knowledge of the importance of being screened. (GINA)
