KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have been urged to have a “humanitarian heart” when it comes to underprivileged women, who would benefit from free cervical screening.
Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made the call when launching Phase 3 of the Etiqa-Rose Foundation free cervical screening programme at Universiti Malaya recently.
The programme is a collaboration between Etiqa Life Insurance and the Rose Foundation.
The word “Rose” stands for “removing obstacles to cervical screening”.
The foundation, established in 2019 as a company limited by guarantee and as a charitable foundation in Malaysia, is a joint venture between Universiti Malaya and the Australian Centre for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer.
She said she was positive new milestones would be set in the third phase of the programme this year in the drive to eliminate cervical cancer in Malaysia.
Wan Azizah, who also served as women, family and community development minister, said: “In January 2019, I officiated at the launch of the Rose Programme at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Six months later, I was honoured to launch the first Etiqa-Rose free cervical screening campaign at Pandan Mewah.
“Today, I am thrilled to celebrate the success and continuation of this collaboration.”
She said women in rural communities can be screened and immediately receive treatment,
as the new screening equipment is battery-powered, unlike the non-portable conventional equipment used, which means screenings can be done in rural communities that lack access to power supply.
“The mobile colposcopy equipment will be useful in all these situations because trained medical volunteers can travel to rural and remote areas to provide follow-up treatment.”
Wan Azizah said it was important for frontliners to be in good health and the Rose Programme provides free cervical cancer screening to the Armed Forces, police, healthcare professionals and other frontliners who have been serving the people and the country in trying times.
“The collaboration saw 1,000 policewomen, close to 400 army and immigration personnel, more than 7,500 Health Ministry employees and 300 Higher Education Ministry staff being screened.”
Rose Foundation chairman Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said the programme allows women to take a human papillomavirus polymerase chain reaction sampling test, which is simpler, quicker and less painful than conventional pap smears.
“In 2022, the programme successfully screened over 21,000 women nationwide and detected 1,210 positive cases.
“More than 90% of those tested received follow-up treatment and under Phase 3, 5,500 women nationwide between the ages of 30 and 65 from under-screened communities, including Orang Asli, have been identified for screening.” said Adeeba, adding that in the last three years, the programme has been implemented in over 150 communities, 12 clinics across 12 states and 28 government hospitals.
She also said more than 90 healthcare professionals were engaged under the programme to provide follow-up treatment to women who tested positive.
