KARACHI: Twenty women die of cervical cancer daily in Pakistan, which ranks seventh among countries having the highest number of cervical cancer deaths worldwide.

This was stated during an event held on Wednesday at a local hotel, where representatives of multiple organisations formed a group to create awareness of cervical cancer in Pakistan.

The platform against the disease, United against Cervical Cancer, was launched at a local hotel. The Society of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Pakistan (SOGP), supported by the Association for Mothers and Newborns, the AKUH Gynae Oncology Department, the Pakistan Paediatric Association (Karachi chapter) and GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Limited are part of the group.

SOGP vice president, the organiser, Prof Razia Korejo said that examples in the developed world had shown that collaborative efforts, especially by raising awareness, could help reduce occurrence of deadly diseases.

Head of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Prof Dr Shireen Zulfiqar Bhutta briefed the audience on the prevalence of cervical cancer in Pakistan and said that cervical cancer was the second most common cancer in women in Pakistan.

She lamented that women in Pakistan were unaware of the seriousness of the disease. “It’s high time we all should unite against cervical cancer to protect our girls and women from this silent killer. The platform will support and organise campaigns for awareness and educate women about the risks of cervical cancer and help them take mandatory measures to reduce personal risk factors for developing the disease,” she said.

Assistant professor Rozilla Saadia, an expert in gynaecological cancers working at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, AKUH, shared her experiences from clinical practice.

“It is essential for your every woman to have regular screening for cervical cancer. Pap smear tests and other techniques need to be made readily available in the country,” she said.

Experts urged the government to follow examples of Muslim countries, for instance, Saudi Arabia, where vaccine against cervical cancer was part of their mass vaccination programme.

They also referred to countries such as Malaysia, Mexico and Rwanda, which had played a leadership role in the fight against cervical cancer. The Global Forum on Cervical Cancer Prevention representing world’s health experts and medical fraternity, it was pointed out, suggested a roadmap to ensure that all women and girls had equitable access to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, screening and tre atment.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2015

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