The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, recently participated in the launch of the WHO Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer.

On this occasion and in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Frame lit up in turquoise at 6 pm. This comes in conjunction with the illumination of the world’s famous landmarks in turquoise, in a sign of the concerted efforts to eliminate cervical cancer, by conducing the early screening for target groups and encouraging them to get the HPV Vaccine, as well as treating detected cases in early stages to achieve high recovery rates.

National guidelines Hussein Abdel Rahman Al-Rand, Undersecretary of the Ministry’s Health Assistant Sector, Health Centers, and Clinics, pointed to the distinctive position of the UAE at the regional and global levels in the fight against cervical cancer, pointing out that the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with health authorities, has developed national guidelines for the early screening of high-priority cancers, including cervical cancer.

This comes as part of MoHAP’s strategy to reduce cancer-related mortalities, in accordance with the national indicators of reducing the number of cancer deaths in order to achieve the National Agenda 2021.

Enhancing treatment and prevention Dr. Hayat Abdullah, Coordinator of Early Cancer Detection Program underlined that the early screening services of cervical cancer are available in all primary health care centers, as part of the “Etmnan” and the “Cancer early screening” initiatives.

She added: “Women aged 25 – 29 years should conduct a Pap test once every three years, while those aged 30 – 65 years should get the test every five years. The early screening of cervical cancer helps increase opportunities for prevention and treatment and chances of survival.”

“Since 2018, MoHAP has included the HPV Vaccine that causes cervical cancer within the National Immunization Program, where the vaccine coverage rate reaches 82%, making the UAE one of the first countries at the regional and global levels in combating non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Laila Al-Jasmi, Head of the Immunization Section stated.