Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Ministry of Health is decentralising cervical cancer treatment after it acquired six thermal coagulation and leep machines. This was revealed by EGPAF Director Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission and Sexual Reproduction Health (PMTCT and SRH), Oluwasanm Akintade.
Akintade was speaking at a cervical cancer prevention training programme for 22 health professionals from nine districts at the Senkatana Health Centre in Maseru. He said the aim was to offer various treatment programmes for the abnormalities of the cervix which lead to cervical cancer.
He said the treatment was first piloted at Senkatana in 2012 and through the support of the USAID, it was extended to Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Maseru, Leribe and Mafeteng in 2018.
He said it cost money for women to access treatment. “We want to ensure that all women have access to screening and those with abnormalities can be treated wherever they are,” he said.
The Health Director General, Dr ’Nyane Letsie, said cervical cancer has burdened Lesotho economically for years. She said it costs M250 000 to treat a single cancer patient adding that it is preventable if all methods are used early.
She pleaded with her colleagues to take the training programme seriously. She said they started small with prevention programmes but six more districts will benefit.
“We know that this will make a difference but we still need females to come at the right time because delay in diagnosis has let us down,” she said.
She said the ministry is using about M20 million to care for patients and if the money could be used locally, health services would improve. “Let us all work together to achieve that goal.
A participant, Dr Tlotla Selia-lia of Butha-Buthe Hospital, said the training was helpful as they will help reduce overcrowding at Senkatana as it was a referral centre for patients from all districts.
He said cervical cancer can be treated if it is detected on time. “This training served as a reminder as we already learnt about it at schools and will also help us improve our knowledge so as to screen, detect and treat it,” he said. He said the machines will come in very handy as it will enable them to screen patients early before it spreads.
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