Abstract
Objective: To determine the cervical screening coverage of women 40-60 years in Kalutara District since the inception of the programme in 1996. Methodology: Cervical screening which is conducted in Well Woman Clinics (WWC), involves both visual inspection of the cervix and Pap smear testing. A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted to assess the cervical screening coverage achieved since the inception of the programme and to assess the quality of services. The area investigated was the Kalutara district and individual MOH (Medical Officer of Health) areas within it. Data of screened females between 33 to 63 years were obtained from the records maintained in the WWClinics Results The results were expressed as a percentage of the total 40-60 females in the District and individual MOH areas. The cervical screening coverage in Kalutara District was 2.2% since the inception of the programme. Although the cover-age was low, a rising trend of cervical screening from 1996 was observed particularly after the year 1998. Only three MOH areas out of 7 conducted more than 4 WWClinics per month, which is the recommendation of Ministry of Health. Seventy four percent (1135) of total screenings (1535) were performed in those three clinics. Only one MOH area conducted an out-reach clinic. Five MOH areas conducted the clinics in combination with Maternal and Child Health/Family Planning (MCH/FP) clinics, while the other two MOH areas conducted separate WWClinics. The highest cumulative coverage was observed in Bulathsinhala MOH area (9.3%) where there were more than 4 WWclinics per month and clinics were conducted separately. Conclusion The low cervical screening coverage of 2.2% over a 5 year period in Kalutara District resembled the cervical screen-ing coverage pattern in other developing countries. Cervical screening coverage could be increased by increasing fre-quency and number of clinics especially in the periphery and conducting WWClinics separately without combining with MCH/FP Clinics. Key words: Cervical screening; Well Woman Clinics; evaluation; coverage DOI: 10.4038/jccpsl.v14i1.2946 Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka Vol.14(1) 2009 33-38
Highlights
Cervical cancer is a major health problem among females in Sri Lanka
MOH areas out of 7 conducted more than 4 WWClinics per month, which is the recommendation of Ministry of Health
Cervical screening coverage could be increased by increasing frequency and number of clinics especially in the periphery and conducting WWClinics separately without combining with MCH/FP Clinics
Summary
Cervical cancer is a major health problem among females in Sri Lanka. It accounts for 17.7 % of all cancers among females (1). It is the second commonest malignancy among females and the incidence was 6.6 per 10 5 population in (2) and shows a rising trend (Figure I). Crude rate (Number of cervical cancer cases per 10 5 mid year population at risk). 1. Consultant Community Physician, National Institute of Health Sciences, Kalutara. 2. Professor in Community Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
