Chisinau, 6 June 2019 - Two national laboratories from the Republican Clinical Hospital and the Mother and Child Institute were equipped with advanced equipment for the delivery of cervical screening services. In these laboratories, important cytological and histopathological analyzes are performed on a daily basis, allowing early diagnosis of precancerous cervical lesions and proper case management, thus preventing cervical cancer in women.

"The Pap smear can be done free of charge at the family doctor by any woman 25-61 years of age. It is the only method of early diagnosis of cervical lesions, helping to prevent cervical cancer. The Ministry of Health, with the support of development partners, has equipped the laboratories with modern equipment. This will enable us to cover the needs for cytological and histopathological analyzes across the country and thus to reduce the number of deaths through early diagnosis, prevention and treatment, " the Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection, Silvia Radu, said.

The lab equipment with the value of almost 140,000 USD was procured by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), from the funds provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), within the project "Prevention of Cervical Cancer in the Republic of Moldova ".
 

"The Government of Switzerland is the largest bilateral donor in the health sector of the Republic of Moldova, and today we are seeing a beautiful example of this cooperation. The equipment with which the two laboratories were equipped will enhance the quality of cervical screening services and will enable prevention of cervical cancer in women by early diagnosis and appropriate treatment", Caroline Tissot, Director of Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova, said.

According to Rita Columbia, UNFPA Representative, more than 1500 women from Moldova, most of them of reproductive age, have lost their lives in the past five years.

"Cervical cancer can be easily prevented, and today we have made a very important step in this regard. The laboratory equipment will be used both to provide quality cervical screening services, in accordance with international standards, and to train specialists in this field. We urge women to ask for these services and together to stop the cervical cancer, " said Rita Columbia.

The Pap test for the prevention of cervical cancer is recommended to be performed every three years by all women aged 25-61. The test is free of charge at the family doctor. Over 700 Moldovan women perform daily the cervical screening test thus preventing cervical cancer. However, a lot of women are addressing to the doctor too late, so every three days a woman dies from this disease in our country.

The equipment was procured within the Project "Prevention of Cervical Cancer in the Republic of Moldova" carried out in the period 2017-2020 by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, UNFPA, SDC and the International Association for Cervical Cancer Prevention.  The project aims to reduce the cervical cancer mortality and morbidity by improving the quality of medical services and informing / encouraging women to request these services.