Women and girls have been urged to go for regular cervical cancer screening to enable early diagnosis and timely treatment.
Speaking at the Kajiado County Referral Hospital during an event to mark the National Cervical Cancer Awareness month, Deputy Governor Martin Moshisho noted that cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in reproductive-aged women globally.
Moshisho revealed that many women were at risk of infection and regular screening was the only way to detect cervical cancer and enable its treatment.
He emphasized the need to eliminate stigma surrounding cancer, as it hinders timely diagnosis and treatment, particularly for prevalent cancers like cervical and breast cancer.
‘I want to urge all women to avail themselves for cervical cancer screening so as to save lives. Cervical cancer is one of the most successfully treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively,’ he said.
The Deputy Governor reiterated the county government’s
commitment to providing quality health services to residents, adding that all county hospitals were now fully equipped and cancer screening and treatment was available at the facilities.
The County governor’s spouse Edna Lenku noted that very few women were availing themselves for cancer screening at the health facilities due to fear and stigma.
She noted that a cancer was not a death sentence and is treatable when detected at its early stages, thus all women must go for regular screening so as to save lives.
‘We have over 50,000 women in Kajiado at the reproductive age, but only 9500 have been screened for cervical cancer at our facilities. We want to encourage all women to undergo screening so as to enable proper diagnosis,’ said Mrs. Lenku.
The governor’s spouse further called on girls aged between 10-14 years to ensure that they are fully vaccinated against Human papilloma virus (HPV) so as to protect themselves from cervical cancer.
Margaret Masaba, a health care worker, echoed Mrs. Lenku’s sentimen
ts, adding that many women do not avail themselves for cancer screening due to fear and varied traditional beliefs.
Masaba noted that the belief that cancer is a death sentence or is caused by witchcraft has made many people to shy away from screening and there was need to sensitize the public on the importance of frequent screening as it enables early detection and treatment.
She added that cervical cancer can be prevented by having one sexual partner. Multiple sex partners put one at risk as men are spreaders, yet they do not contract the disease.
Priscilla Mwai, a cancer survivor noted that cervical cancer is the second most common in the world contributing to half a million new cases and over 300,000 deaths annually.
Most of these cases, she said, occur in Africa and other low and middle-income countries
Mwai emphasized that cancer was treatable if detected at an early stage. She called on women to undergo frequent cancer screening so as to curb the surging cases of cancer in the country.
Source: K
enya News Agency
OMUTHIYA: Namibia Bus and Taxi Association (NABTA) secretary, Pendapala Nakathingo, has urged all buses and taxi drivers to undergo First Aid Training and Defensive Driving courses so as to reduce road accidents.
Nakathingo said in an interview with Nampa on Thursday that they established First Aid Training courses in September 2022 to provide lifesaving skills for drivers as it turns drivers into useful first responders at accident scenes.
He said the objectives of the defensive driving training are to provide the necessary driving skills to bus and taxi drivers to help them maintain safety on the road.
‘It helps them deal with all weather conditions, other vehicles on the road including all road users, and potentially hazardous situations, as well as taking necessary action to avoid becoming the cause of or becoming involved in a road crash,’ Nakathingo said.
He said when driving defensively, they are aware and ready for whatever happens, and they are cautious, yet ready to act.
‘You will be taught tec
hniques on sharing the road safely, avoiding others who are driving aggressively and recklessly, driver alertness, allowing time and space and ensuring that the vehicle and driver’s intention is also visible on the road,’ he said.
Nakathingo said they have so far trained more than 700 bus and taxi drivers across the country through their partner, Drivewell Training Academy, and OSHMED first aid training.
‘The drivers are taught in the principles of emergency care, safety, and emergency scene management, artificial respirations, airway obstruction, wounds and bleeding, fractures, burn wounds and trauma,’ said Nakathingo.
He added that at the end, the drivers are all supplied with emergency first aid kits to keep in their vehicles and for practical use as certified first aiders.
Nakathingo also pointed out that 85 to 90 per cent of road crashes are attributed to driver error and people should contact NABTA if they want to undergo the training as it is continuous and will be offered from region to region.
N
ABTA is a legally recognised transport association operating within the borders of the Republic of Namibia.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency