The health ministry launched the strategic plan for cervical cancer 2019-2023 towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Bhutan. The strategic plan will serve as a roadmap for the ministry to strengthen the services for the program and improve the quality of care in screening, early detection and treatment.
Cervical Cancer is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is preventable and treatable if detected early. But it continues to be a major threat to women’s lives.
More than 50 cases of cervical cancers are detected every year. The government spends nearly Nu 200,000 for each patient undergoing cervical cancer treatment. The screening program in Bhutan recommends Pap Smear every three years for women aged 25 to 65 years to ensure timely treatment of the diagnosed cases. But getting women to undergo Pap smear test is still a challenge. Pap smear is a test to screen for cervical cancer which is crucial for early detection.
“The first thing that we are looking at coverage because right now our coverage is quite low at just 56 per cent. So we are looking at how we can bring our coverage higher and so that we can have an impact on the program. So increasing the coverage will be our first priority and the next priority will be capacity building of our health care providers,” Tashi Tshomo, the Program Officer of Reproductive, Maternal and Neonatal Health Program, said.
The strategy is expected to provide equitable access to preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services related to cervical cancer. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Bhutan committed to eliminate cervical cancer at the 144th session of the World Health Organization.
“When I went to Geneva in January during the executive board meeting, Bhutan was the first one to raise this at a global level that we have to eliminate cervical cancer. Three reasons, cervical cancer preventable, it is treatable and it is curable. So knowing the science behind and not to pull up our socks for 700,000 population is absolutely unacceptable. So going forward for cervical cancer for Bhutan I am leaving for Regional Conference this Saturday. Bhutan will be among the first country in the region to actually present the cervical cancer elimination strategy, ” said Dechen Wangmo, the Health Minister.
Cervical cancer ranks as the leading cause of cancer among women in Bhutan with eighty-two deaths recorded between 2014 to 2018. And seventy per cent of the total female population in the reproductive age group is at risk of developing cervical cancer in Bhutan.
