KUCHING: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pink & Teal EmpowHer or Persatuan Kesedaran Kanser Wanita has been praised by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg for their efforts in providing cervical screening for women in the rural areas in Sarawak.
“I must congratulate you for your effort to create this awareness. There is quite a positive response from the rural community, and I don’t mind to give you the financial assistance of RM500,000 for your NGO to carry out the service (one-stop solution bus),” said Abang Johari.
He made the announcement at the ‘A Sunday Morning with CM: Dialogue Session with Young Entrepreneurs in Sarawak’ at Pullman Hotel on Sunday (Sept 27).
Meanwhile, Pink & Teal EmpowHer founder Dr Abigail Jeri who is also a trainee lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said her group in collaboration with Unimas have been carrying out the screening for the rural women on a voluntary basis.
“We have come out with a penetrative method to screen and treat our rural women. We adapted our programme to meet the women in their environment, meeting them at their balai (hall), ruai (verandah), or remin (house).
“We offer a one-stop solution and in one year alone we have managed to screen more than 1,000 women from whom we have identified significant number of pre-cancerous lesions and we have prevented cancer in that group of women, her family and her community,” she said.
She said however although they are able to be treated in hospital within three to four weeks, which is half of the time of the usual Ministry of Health referral pathway, and Abigail still foresee a 50 per cent defaulter rate.
“Not all of them can come to us (to seek treatment) and this is also that we are unable to bring our portable treatment equipment to them.
“Our group is largely funded by ourselves and some grant funding from the Women’s Welfare Ministry, yet, our mobility is restricted due to lack of funds,” Abigail said.
She said as such the proposal is to have a one-stop solution bus to screen and treat the rural women, and this bus can travel across Sarawak.
“With this one-stop solution, the portable equipment can be dissembled and loaded onto 4×4 vehicles, helicopters and longboats to reach the women who do not have road accessibility,” she said.
