Chisinau, 29th of January - The Colposcopy Referral Center, the only institution endowed with modern equipment, that offers quality colposcopy services for women and trainings for specialists, was launched at the Mother and Child Institute from Chisinau.

Colposcopy is a thorough examination of the cervix, recommended if the results of the Pap test are abnormal. If necessary, colposcopy also offers the possibility of treating precancerous lesions, thus preventing the development of cervical cancer.

The Colposcopy Referral Center was founded upon the request from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection in 2017. "I express my gratitude to the partners, who joined our efforts and who support us in the development of the health system in the country," the State Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, Boris Gilca, said. 

The Center was supplied with modern equipment through the Kusanone Programme of the Embassy of Japan to the Republic of Moldova, which provided a financial support of more than 84,000 USD.

"This is a special project with an important objective - the prevention of cervical cancer in the Republic of Moldova. I am firmly convinced that the equipment installed in this Center will be very useful to the specialists, and the patients will benefit from qualitative and timely services," H.E. Masanobu Yoshii, Japan's Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova said.

The Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dereje Wordofa, emphasized that regional and national statistics in the area of cervical cancer are threatening. The rate of cervical cancer is almost 10 times higher in Central and Eastern European countries than in Western European countries. In Moldova every day a woman is diagnosed with this disease, and every three day one woman dies from cervical cancer.

"The Colposcopy Center is an important step towards the fight against cervical cancer and will provide quality services to save the lives of women in Moldova. UNFPA remains committed to support the country in developing prevention programs through organized cervical cancer screenings”, the official said.

The Colposcopy Referral Center has three colposcopy offices, including one within the Ginecology Section of the Mother and Child Institute, for patients who will need ambulatory care. The services will be provided by the eight employees of the Center who are able to assist up to forty-five patients daily.

UNFPA, the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova (SDC), the Romanian Agency for International Development (RoAid) and the International Cervical Cancer  Prevention Association (ICCPA) support the development of colposcopy services in the Republic of Moldova by providing technical expertise and capacity building in the framework of "Cervical Cancer Prevention Project for 2017-2020”.