Over 14,800 women have done govt's free cervical cancer tests - Dr Wan Azizah

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Over 14,800 women have benefited from free cervical cancer screening under the  National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) this month, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

She said the government had allocated RM7 million to carry out the test commonly known as the HPV DNA test, at the LPPKN Nur Sejahtera clinics, mainly to help women in the B40 low-income group.

"The free HPV DNA test can be performed at any of the LPPKN clinics up to the end of the year, in addition to the mammogram subsidy and HPV vaccination services," she added.

Dr Wan Azizah said this after launching local firm Etiqa's free cervical screening programme with the Removing Obstacles to Cervical Screening (Rose) Foundation here today.

She said that the government encouraged women in the country to undergo HPV DNA testing to detect the presence of HPV (human papillomavirus)  before changes occur to the tissue cells in the cervix.

Wan Azizah, who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, reiterated that it was one of the health initiatives to help women from the B40 group.

Earlier in her speech, Dr Wan Azizah expressed her appreciation to Etiqa and Rose Foundation, for their efforts in conducting the free cervical cancer screening programme that kicked off in the Pandan area, here today.

She added that Etiqa had donated RM1.2 million to the Rose Foundation so that some 6,000  B40 women between the ages of 30 and 49, could benefit from the programme.

"I understand that similar programmes are to be held in Miri, Sarawak this August and in Bakri, Johor in September," she said.

The Rose initiative was launched in January.

--BERNAMA