First Lady urges women to go for cervical cancer screening

First Lady Gertrude Mutharika has asked women to go for cervical cancer screening.

She made the appeal at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Monday when she received cryotherapy machines from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for screening cervical cancer.

Mutharika said out of 20 000 women who go for cervical cancer screening, 2 300 are found with the disease while 1 600 women die of it.

“This assistance has, therefore, come in time as it will help to complement the already existing machines in our district hospitals,” she said.

UNFPA deputy representative Rogaia Abdelrahim also stressed the need for early screening.

“Any female who attains the age of 18 should go for cervical cancer screening after every five years. HIV positive mothers should do that every two years,” she said.

Abdelrahim said Malawi tops cervical cancer in Africa because of many reasons which include early pregnancies, maternal complications and having multiple sexual partners, among others.

The cryotherapy machines, which are worth K10 million, have since been distributed to Dedza, Mchinji, Ntcheu, Nkhata Bay, Mangochi and Chiradzulu district hospitals. n