MOLDOVA: European Country with Highest Cervical Cancer Risk

Various media outlets including, newspapers Ziarul de garda and Adevarul, reported on 20 September that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, with the support of UNFPA/Moldova Office, hosted the working visit to Chisinau of Dr. Philip Davies, General Director of the European Association of Cervical Cancer. The mission aimed to offer support to national experts in the process of evaluation of the current situation in the field of cervical cancer in the Republic of Moldova and to formulate recommendations and policies in accordance with the international standards.

During a round table with media representatives, Dr. Davies mentioned that the Republic of Moldova is placed among the European states with the highest risk of cervical cancer, due to a small number of gynecologists and lack of prevention measures culture among the population.

“Cervical cancer rate can be reduced by 80-90% among women who regularly do the cervical screening procedure, but it is important to convince women to actually do it. In Moldova, people go to see a doctor only when there is no other solution. That is why, when a woman comes with particular symptoms, it is usually too late to cure the cervical cancer and there is a very small chance to survive the treatment” says Dr. Philip Davies.

Dr. Boris Gilca, Programme Coordinator at UNFPA Moldova, mentioned that many patients make the confusion between a cytological examination and a screening. “Vaginal smear is not a test for cervical cancer. It is important to take the Papanicolau test, at the very beginning of the sexual life” added Dr. Boris Gilca. He also stated that in order to change the situation there is a need to reset the priorities, the mentality of the population and of the leading bodies, in order to get more implication at the “prevention” stage of the cervical cancer. Read in Romanian: Adevarul and Ziarul de garda