A team of 13 doctors and volunteers from the United States was in Rwanda for a week on a mission to equip doctors, mainly from the University of Rwanda with skills to treat cervical cancer. Following their successful mission, the team on Sunday June 6 converged at Pink Wellness Centre in Nyarugunga to celebrate the National Cancer Survivors’ Day with Philippa Kibugu, a breast cancer survivor and founder of Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA). Dr Paula R. Chanda, an obstetrician-gynecologist from California and founder of Worldwide Healing Hands Works, an organization that is dedicated to put a stop at needless deaths of mothers dying of preventable causes, is one of the doctors that offered tips for screening cervical cancer to colleagues at University of Rwanda since 31 May. She said that cervical cancer is caused by a virus, and that it takes a long time for the virus to cause the cancer, at least 10 years. “Once the pre-cancer cervical cells are found, the good news is that they can be treated thus preventing cervical cancer. “Many countries are at a disadvantage as they lack good ways to screen for cervical cancer, in more developed countries, they use pap smear method. However, other countries don’t have that capacity because it’s expensive,” she says. Chanda added that the taught the medical personnel to use Visual Inspection of the Cervix with Acetic Acid (VIA), which she said is an effective, inexpensive screening that can be combined with simple treatment procedures for early cervical lesions. Her organization has partnered with BCIEA to carry out grassroots leaders to create awareness around this cancer in communities from the districts of Kirehe and Huye. It is in these two districts where Kabugu’s initiative dubbed ‘One Smartphone per Village’ which aimed at using technology to enhance awareness around breast cancer, is being carried out. The visiting volunteer medics were also joined by Dr. Melissa Miskell who founded Preventing Cervical Cancer Globally - PINCC, which is dedicated to abolishing cervical cancer-related deaths across the globe. Miskell introduced the program that was aimed at using a simple procedure dubbed ‘see and treat,’ where women with cancerous cells are treated within 21 minutes. PINCC is working to make cervical dysplasia treatment available to woman in the world to avert cervical cancer from ever developing. They train medical personnel and create sustainable programmes to ensure long-lasting cervical dysplasia treatment is available to women everywhere. They also educate and empower local communities through community outreach and education programs. Meanwhile, Chanda stressed that women who are HIV positive are more prone to cancer since they have a weak immune system.
