Ministry of Health has marked the cervical cancer prevention week in cooperation with National Board of Cancer Control and Kosovo Association of Gynecology/Obstetricians, and National Institute of Public Health, supported by UNFPA office in Kosovo.
The activities planned to mark this week, aiming to raise the awareness of the general population include: round table discussion, distribution of two brochures on “Cervical cancer screening” and “Follow-up and treatment of an abnormal cervical smear“(15,000 copies), distribution of posters with the message “Cervical Cancer can be prevented – do the PAP test!”, TV spot, and lectures by health professionals in different education and health institutions.
The round table was held in Prishtina, on January 27, with participation of about 40 participants, including Minster of Health, high level of health professionals, such as gynecologist, pathologist, nurses, representatives of municipal health directorate and other stakeholders. The presentations and discussions of this conference were focused on: benefits of the general population from cervical cancer screening and usage of the existing services; sharing of the updated information about cervical cancer screening with health professionals; and advocating to decision makers to prioritize cancer screening programs. In conclusion of the round table, the main issues raised were a lack of data on cancer prevalence and incidence, a lack of awareness at community level and a lack of quality and availability of existing screening services/programmes.
