Dr. Jackline Akol, an Obstetrician and Genealogist (right), and Dr. Zechariah Malel, President of the Gynecologists Association of South Sudan. (Awan Moses)

Reproductive health doctors are calling on the Ministry of Health to establish laboratories specifically for screening cervical cancer to contain the prevalence of the disease in the country.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 600,000 women are infected every year with cervical cancer with more than 300,000 deaths.

In the East African region alone, about 40% of women cancer are related to the cervical type and that puts South Sudan at risk although no data has been provided for the prevalence the country.

Dr. Jackline Akol, an Obstetrician and Genealogist said despite the limitation of laboratory facilities, they can still handle cases based on the targets and the symptoms.

Dr. Akol calls on the Ministry of Health to have laboratories in place to screen cervical cancer in a bid to contain the prevalence of the disease in the country.

“We are lacking this national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and lacking this screening method but yet in Juba Teaching Hospital, the Chinese have made something for this screening, and we are screening some of the cases,” she said during Eye Radio’s Sundown Show on Wednesday.

“We are yet advocating with the Ministry of Health to have the establishment of this in general in aim to prevent it totally.”

“You can approach us at Juba Teaching Hospital where this can be done by all the health professionals and something very easy, very comfortable and very visible. It’s a procedure that ends within five to ten minutes without any complication.”

For his part, the President of the Gynecologists Association of South Sudan Dr. Zechariah Malel encourages the public to be mindful of the prevention disease and seek attention from health experts.

“They should know how to prevent themselves. Try to seek care from the professional people, don’t just go to the nearby clinic, you are treated as UTI for example PID and at the end, you end up having something at the late stages.”

“So, it’s better that you visit the right people that give you the right advise and give you the right treatment.”

Cervical cancer develops in a woman’s cervix and almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), an extremely common virus transmitted through sexual contact.

Although most infections resolve spontaneously and cause no symptoms, but the persistence can cause cervical cancer in women.