We need to create more awareness of cervical cancer in communities as it is one of the leading causes of death globally.
This was highlighted by the First Lady Adi Filomena Katonivere while participating in the Spousal Programme held at the Marlborough House, Pall Mall Saint James in London yesterday. She says in 2020, the World Health Organisation estimated that there were 604,000 new cases of cervical cancer worldwide, and 342,000 deaths from the disease which shows that there is an urgent need to address the burden of cervical cancer on a global scale. Adi Filomena says cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable disease, yet it continues to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of women every year.
She also says that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Fiji, with an incidence rate of 27.6 per 100,000 women.
She adds it is a devastating disease that not only affects women but their families, communities, and the nation as a whole. The First Lady also says it is a tragedy that so many women in Fiji are losing their lives to a disease that is preventable and treatable therefore, she is committed to raising awareness about cervical cancer and advocating for greater access to screening, early detection, and treatment.
Adi Filomena says we need to invest in our healthcare system and expand access to screening services by recruiting and training more healthcare workers, improving the infrastructure of our health centers and clinics, and increasing the availability of screening tests and supplies.
She says they have already taken some important steps in recent years, but there's still a long way to go on and one of the most effective ways to prevent cervical cancer is through vaccination.
