Free Cervical Cancer Screening 2014

Did you know that there is about 12 Filipino women who die of cervical cancer each day here in the Philippines?

Studies showed that cervical cancer is the second most common cancer afflicting women worldwide with about 500,000 new cases and approximately 250,000 deaths each year.

If you don’t want to be part of this statistics, you should get a cervical cancer screening as soon as possible especially if you are sexually active or had a history of sexual contact.

With that said the Department of Health, global pharmaceutical company MSD, along with medical societies all over the country are all-set for the 7th year of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month celebration this May.

The celebration highlight will be the free cervical cancer screening which will be offered to women 21 years old and above in 58 DOH-retained hospitals nationwide for the whole month of May. Screenings will be offered to the public every Wednesday in Metro Manila, every Friday in Luzon, every Tuesday in Visayas and every Thursday in Mindanao.

The partnership first established the month of May as cervical cancer awareness month. Over the years, policies and programs have been established such as the national guidelines for cervical cancer prevention and control, conduct of lay forums on disease education and prevention and awareness campaigns.

According to DOH, screening, either through Pap smear or visual inspection using acetic acid (VIA), should be done on women who are sexually active or had a history of sexual contact.