News / Health
Government intensifies cervical cancer fight
02 Dec 2018 at 02:30hrs | Views
Government has engaged several health partners in the provision of cervical cancer screening to women in rural areas as efforts intensify to detect and take remedial action against the disease.
The development comes at a time the First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa has also been on a countrywide drive to assist women in various communities access cervical and breast cancer screening.
In an interview during a National Aids Council (NAC) tour for journalists to appreciate the HIV and Aids situation in Mashonaland Central province, NAC Muzarabani district co-ordinator Mr Richard Chasima said Government was fully committed in the fight against cervical cancer.
He said measures had been put in place through the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure more women get screened for cervical cancer.
"We are carrying out a number of programmes as stakeholders that are being supported by the National Aids Trust Fund and these include the VIAC screening and screening for cervical cancer targeting mostly areas that are hard to reach areas.
"In this province, we are now supporting St Albert's Mission with travel logistics so that they go to areas where people live.
"This was upon realisation that we have people in wards like Chiwenga, Chadereka and Hoya who find it difficult to go to the hospital and get screened for cervical cancer because of the distance.
"By going to the people, we have managed to increase the number of women who are benefiting from the VIAC exercise as opposed to the period where people only used to come to the mission hospital.
"This is part of various measures that are being implemented by the Government and various partners to ensure women are safe from cervical cancer."
The Sunday Mail gathered that a number of activities are being carried out in the district, which include Parent to Child to Communication (PCC) and Sister to Sister programmes which Zimbabwe Aids Prevention Support Organisation (ZAPSO) is a major implementer.
PCC is a program aims to bridge the gap between parents and their children in discussing sexual related matters whilst Sister to Sister provides an opportunity for young girls aged between 10-24 to meet among themselves and discuss sexual reproductive health issues.
The development comes at a time the First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa has also been on a countrywide drive to assist women in various communities access cervical and breast cancer screening.
In an interview during a National Aids Council (NAC) tour for journalists to appreciate the HIV and Aids situation in Mashonaland Central province, NAC Muzarabani district co-ordinator Mr Richard Chasima said Government was fully committed in the fight against cervical cancer.
He said measures had been put in place through the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure more women get screened for cervical cancer.
"We are carrying out a number of programmes as stakeholders that are being supported by the National Aids Trust Fund and these include the VIAC screening and screening for cervical cancer targeting mostly areas that are hard to reach areas.
"In this province, we are now supporting St Albert's Mission with travel logistics so that they go to areas where people live.
"This was upon realisation that we have people in wards like Chiwenga, Chadereka and Hoya who find it difficult to go to the hospital and get screened for cervical cancer because of the distance.
"By going to the people, we have managed to increase the number of women who are benefiting from the VIAC exercise as opposed to the period where people only used to come to the mission hospital.
"This is part of various measures that are being implemented by the Government and various partners to ensure women are safe from cervical cancer."
The Sunday Mail gathered that a number of activities are being carried out in the district, which include Parent to Child to Communication (PCC) and Sister to Sister programmes which Zimbabwe Aids Prevention Support Organisation (ZAPSO) is a major implementer.
PCC is a program aims to bridge the gap between parents and their children in discussing sexual related matters whilst Sister to Sister provides an opportunity for young girls aged between 10-24 to meet among themselves and discuss sexual reproductive health issues.
Source - Sunday Mail
