Free Cervical Cancer Screenings At DOH Retained Hospitals

Did you know that women aged 30-49 years old may avail of free cervical cancer screenings at Department of Health (DOH) retained hospitals.

These free cervical cancer screening program of DOH enables patients to get screened, diagnosed and treated at the same hospital they got screened. .   About  3 cryotherapy machines , used to freeze and destroy abnormal tissues were turnover to DOH Medical Centers through a grant from UNFPA.     You may visit the beneficiary hospitals such as Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital and Cotabato Regional Hospital.

Cryotherapy machines in these hospitals will get those women who are screened and found positive for cervical abnormalities to be treated immediately at the same hospital without delay or hassle of visiting another hospital with technology to remove suspicious lesions.

The free cervical cancer screenings is a project of DOH in partnership with MSD and medical societies namely the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP), and the Philippine Society for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (PSCPC) .   The project was launched dring the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month which gives patients free screening , diagnosys and treatment .

Did you know that 12 Filipino women die of cervical cancer everyday?   This makes it the second most common and deadly cancer among women in the Philippines.  Around 6,000 are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year and half of them die after six years. Human papillomavirus or HPV cause virtually 100% of all cervical cancer cases.  Aside from cervical cancer, HPV may also lead to cancer of the vulva and vagina in women, cancer of the penis in men as well as anal cancer, head and neck cancers and genital warts in both men and women.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in both men and women. Because transmission is through skin-to-skin contact, abstinence from all forms of sexual activity is the best means of prevention. Primary prevention includes vaccination against HPV not only for women but also for men.

Cervical cancer may not present any symptoms until the late, deadly stages.  Since it takes years for the infection to develop into cancer. Routine screening through a pap smear is an effective way of helping prevent cervical cancer.  A cheaper yet effective alternative is getting screened through visual inspection with acetic acid or vinegar to detect possible precancerous lesions.

For the whole month of May, the screenings schedules will be offered to the public in DOH-retained hospitals every Wednesday in Metro Manila, every Friday in Luzon, every Tuesday in Visayas and every Thursday in Mindanao.

For the list of DOH-retained hospitals, go to http://www2.doh.gov.ph/doh_retained_hospital.htm.

For more information on cervical cancer and other HPV diseases, visit www.helpfightHPV.com

Stay gorgeous everyone!