Milestone in Rotary’s partnership with Health Ministry to eliminate cervical cancer

17th November 2020 marked a historic milestone, with the World Health Organization (WHO) officially launching its global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem , targeting the period 2020-2030. As WHO observed, “Cervical Cancer is a preventable and curable disease as long as it is detected early and managed effectively”.

The Rotary Club of Colombo who launched its Cervical Cancer Elimination Project in 2019 in partnership with the Ministry of Health, supported the country’s transition from pap smear to HPV DNA testing through the HPV DNA Programme and handed over a highly advanced HPV DNA testing machine and 10,000 test kits installed at Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital early this year 2021. Rotary’s project supports the Ministry of Health drive towards eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030. Already, with this installation the country has been able to expand coverage from 9 Districts to 20 Districts out of a total of 27 Districts.

To commemorate the First Anniversary of the historic WHO strategy launch, landmark monuments in over 100 countries worldwide , including the Colombo Town Hall in Sri Lanka, will be illuminated in the colour teal at 6.30 pm on 17th November 2021 as a display of solidarity in support of this historic global commitment