Sarawak aims to be first state to eliminate cervical cancer

KUCHING: Sarawak aims to be the first state in Malaysia to eliminate cervical cancer in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) target, says Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

The Deputy Premier said this can be done by providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to young girls and screening women aged 30 to 65.

He added that the screening was usually done by pap smear, but Sarawak was now moving towards PCR testing which is more accurate.

"If you screen early enough, you can catch it much earlier.

"In a nutshell, we want every woman between 30 and 65 to be screened at least twice," he told a press conference after opening a gynaecologic pathology and cytopathology conference here on Monday (Feb 19).

Dr Sim said the state was working with the federal Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to increase screening, with facilities available at public hospitals and health clinics.

"We need to screen about 10,000 women a month. We try to provide the facilities but we want Sarawakian women to look after themselves and come forward for screening," he said.

State pathologist Dr Adam Malik Ismail said Sarawak had about 1.02 million women in the reproductive age group of 30 to 65 years.

He said the state's target, based on the national policy, was to screen at least 70% of this age group by 2030.

"Currently we are actively collaborating with the Sarawak Health Department and National Population and Family Development Board to help us increase the testing kits for HPV.

"We are on the right track to achieve our national target," he said.

In his speech earlier, Dr Sim said he agreed with WHO that cervical cancer could be eliminated through HPV vaccination, screening and treatment of precancerous lesions.

In 2018, WHO announced a global call for action to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030.

Dr Sim noted that cervical cancer was the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, with 342,000 women dying from it in 2020.

In Sarawak, he said, cervical cancer accounted for about 15% of 2,300 new cancer cases detected every year.