WHO to assist Govt to screen women for cervical, breast cancer
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has agreed to launch an
islandwide programme to screen all women for cervical cancer and breast
cancer free.
Healthcare and Nutrition Minister and WHO Executive Board Chairman
Nimal Siripala de Silva on Saturday requested from the International
Centre for Cancer Research (ICCR) in Leon, France to assist Sri Lanka to
launch the islandwide early screening programme for women for pretest
for cervical cancer and breast cancer.
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Minister
de Silva |
Following the minister's request, ICCR Chairman Professor Peter
Boyle. agreed to provide financial and technical assistance to Sri
Lanka.
ICCR is one of the most important institutions in the WHO for cancer
research, training and treatment.
Breast and cervical cancer are widely spread in the island. There are
12 million women in Sri Lanka. At least 600,000 women work in the
Government sector and 300,000 are teachers. Thirty two per cent in the
labour force in Sri Lanka are women.
But most women do not screen early for cervical and breast cancer.
Minister de Silva requested the WHO to provide financial and technical
support to screen Sri Lankan women for cervical and breast cancer early.
"Early screening is essential to control cancer. We can save our
women's lives, if we identify cervical and breast cancer in the first
stage.
Women in the Government sector in the United Kingdom must provide a
medical certificate on early screening for cervical and breast cancer.
If they are not done, the UK Government can completely stop their annual
salary increments. That is the policy in UK," the Minister said.
The Healthcare and Nutrition Minister will conduct this early
screening programme in islandwide from the end of this year.
It will be organised under the Suva Udana Health programme. The
Ministry has taken steps to launch the medical examine programme for all
government workers in Ministries and Departments.
Research has revealed that most Government workers suffer from
diabetics, hypertension, heart diseases, optical and dental diseases.
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