The Vanuatu Government declared yesterday that it would be the first nation in the Pacific to commit to a national strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer.
The Eliminating Cervical Cancer in the Western Pacific (ECCWP) program in Vanuatu is a collaboration with the Vanuatu Ministry of Health, Vanuatu Family Health Association, the ACPCC, the Daffodil Centre, the Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney, and Family Planning Australia.
The program has been made possible by investment from Minderoo Foundation and other funding partners and is on track to prevent cervical cancer and deaths from cervical cancer in Vanuatu.
Women in Vanuatu are seven times more likely to die from cervical cancer than those in Australia. This collaborative approach between government and international organisations is key in balancing such inequities.
Under the ECCWP program to date, more than 5,000 women have been screened for HPV. A further 25,000 women are due to benefit from a cervical cancer treatment program that involves same day screening and treatment, as well as vaccinations by 2025.
