The ACCESS-FP Programme has congratulated the Dorothy Bailey Health Centre and Georgetown Pub-lic Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) VIA Clinic for dramatically increasing their reach from April through September.
The programme aimed at reducing the incidence of cervical cancer, is led by Jhpiego (pronounced “ja-pie-go”) and funded by USAID, the agency said in a press release. These two health facilities provide free screening for pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix for women using a simple, pain-free approach. The Dorothy Bailey centre reached 130% of their target number of clients and the hospital’s VIA Clinic reached 131% of their target.
“Both sites have demonstrated consistent commitment to providing this service to all women, especially to HIV positive women,” USAID said, adding that the committed and skilled providers at the two institutions are “women’s health heroes.” It also noted that cervical cancer is a preventable disease caused by a sexually transmitted virus that can affect all sexually active women, with particularly harmful effects for HIV positive women. By increasing their outreach, these two facilities have helped prevent the needless death of many women.
Jhpiego, an international non-profit health organisation and affiliate of Johns Hopkins University has been working in Guyana with funding from USAID through the global ACCESS-FP maternal and child health project since 2008. The project’s aim in Guyana has been to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by supporting the Ministry of Health in implementing its policy on VIA screening.
ACCESS-FP, the ministry and city hospital and encourages all sexually active women, especially HIV positive women to be screened as soon as possible. This procedure, using only simple household vinegar can usually be done in a single visit by trained health care providers at the GPHC’s VIA Clinic, National Care and Treatment Centre, St Joseph Mercy Hospital, Dorothy Bailey clinic, Skeldon Hospital, Suddie Hospital, Bartica District Hospital, Charity Hospital, Leonora Cottage Hospital, Mahaicony Diag-nostic Centre, Linden Hos-pital, Mabaruma Hospital, West Demerara Regional Hospital, Lethem Hospital and Wismar Hospital.
