Malawi Healthcare Support (MaHECAS) have sponsored a cervical cancer screening exercise at the St. Montfort Hospital in Chikwawa District.

The screening exercise was targeted to about 400 women of the reproductive age group of 15 to 45 and was conducted in ten health facilities of the district.

Speaking at St. Montfort Hospital in Chikwawa District during mass cervical cancer screening, Dr Dawel Mkandawire of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital’s Gynaecology Department said most women present themselves to the hospital late when the disease has already advanced in the stage.

Chikwawa District Cancer Coordinator, Loveness Santo said the district registers more deaths of women due to cervical cancer as most of them live in rural areas where there are no facilities for them to get tested earlier for treatment.

Speaking on the exercise Lawrence Gogodasi, Coordinator for MAHECAS said the exercise is crucial and of vital importance as most women in Malawi suffer from cervical cancer unknowingly.

Health experts say lack of interest among women in the country to undergo cervical cancer screening is compromising efforts to fight the disease.

Source: Times 360 Malawi