KUCHING: The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) has set its sights on conducting 30,000 screenings for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) DNA within Sarawak this year.
Its target to double last year’s target of 15,000 involves intensified outreach efforts to rural areas across the state.
LPPKN chairperson Datuk Seri Rohani Karim said that the cervical cancer screening programme (HPV DNA test), initiated from 2019 to 2023, facilitated a total of 112,524 women undergoing the HPV DNA test nationwide.
“For Sarawak, a total of 23,744 women underwent the HPV DNA test under the programme from 2019 to 2023.
“LPPKN will continue to be committed to expanding the reach of cervical cancer screening programmes, especially in rural areas. LPPKN and the Health Department will continue the implementation of the 2024 HPV DNA screening programme in Sarawak this year,” she said at the launch of the Kasih KPWKM: Gempur Saringan HPV DNA 2024 programme at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar here today.
Rohani highlighted Sarawak’s alarming cervical cancer incidence rate, standing at 9.6 cases per 100,000 women annually, according to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2012-2016.
Cervical cancer ranks as the third-highest cancer among Malaysian women aged 30 and above, with peak prevalence occurring between ages 50 and 65.
She stressed the importance of early detection through HPV DNA testing as a preventive measure.
Sarawak boasts three branches of Klinik Nur Sejahtera, located in Miri, Sibu, and Kuching, dedicated to early detection efforts.
The programme’s overarching goal is to enhance women’s access to cervical cancer screening while promoting awareness of reproductive healthcare, aiming to eradicate cervical cancer in Sarawak by 2030.
Today, 200 participants in Kuching benefited from free cervical cancer screenings through HPV DNA testing.
