Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s Ministry of Health has launched a nationwide training initiative aimed at boosting the country’s capacity to prevent cervical cancer.
The two-week programme, held across districts including Good Hope, Mochudi and Palapye, trained doctors and nurses in advanced screening and treatment of pre-cancerous cervical lesions.
The initiative, supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other development partners, targets gaps in clinical expertise, particularly in procedures beyond basic thermal ablation and cryotherapy.
“Our goal is to ensure that both doctors and nurses are adequately trained to identify and manage cervical pre-cancer,” said Thomamo Pheto, national coordinator for the Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme.
She noted that many of Botswana’s districts still lack skilled personnel and the training is designed to close that gap.
Over 283 healthcare workers have been trained under the programme.
However, screening rates remain low, largely due to the asymptomatic nature of pre-cancerous conditions.
WHO Botswana’s focal point for non-communicable diseases, Tebogo Madidimalo, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer by 2030 in line with global targets.
“We have proven before that elimination of communicable diseases is possible in Botswana and, likewise, elimination of cervical cancer is within reach for us. It will, however, take all hands-on deck to achieve the WHO targets for elimination,” he said.
The Ministry of Health plans to expand outreach and scale up training to reach more women, especially those aged 25 and above who have never been screened.
““Cervical cancer is a silent killer” Pheto warned, “By the time symptoms appear, it may already be too late. But with early detection, it is both preventable and treatable.”
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