Life Concern Organisation (LICO) has stepped up efforts to combat cervical cancer in Rumphi district through provision of cervical cancer screening services targeting women living in rural areas. The organisation has since gone flat out conducting outreach programmes and sensitization campaigns urging women to go for cervical cancer screening.
LICO Executive Director Peter Gondwe says his organisation is also providing community awareness and health education on cervical cancer in order to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer cases.
Currently, the organisation is implementing a one year project on cervical cancer screening targeting over 4000 women in Rumphi district. The project is being implemented in four major health centres of Mhuju, Bolero, Katowo and Mzokoto.
A nurse explains cervical cancer and its screening“We are decentralizing cervical cancer screening services from the district hospital to health centres situated in rural areas so that women in these areas are also reached with screening services,” said Gondwe. Further he said his organisation has since bought a Cryotherapy machine for Rumphi district hospital for treating lesions and mild cervical cancer problems. The old machine at the district hospital broke down.
The organisation also sponsored training of medical staff based in the aforementioned health centres so that they are able to conduct cervical cancer screening in their respective duty stations.
And speaking in a separate interview Rumphi district hospital cervical cancer coordinator Catherine Temani commended Life Concern organisation for reaching out to the rural masses with cervical cancer screening services. She said cervical cancer is treatable so long there is early diagnosis hence urging women to come to health facilities and be screened for cervical cancer.
The one year cervical cancer screening project is being funded by Southern Africa Aids trust (SAT) Malawi. Since its inception of the project statistics show that between January and early March 2016 a total of 852 women have been screened for cervical cancer and that 104 were diagnosed with cervical cancer. Treatment has since commenced.
(Mr. Nyirenda, Journalist)