A thousand women in Enugu to get MWAN’s free cervix cancer vaccines

The Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Enugu State chapter has announced plans to give out  free vaccines to one thousand women in the state as part of their efforts to reduce cases of cervial cancer disease among women.

According to the new President of MWAN Enugu chapter, Dr. Mrs Olive Obienu, who explained that it would cost N27,000 to vaccinate one beneficiary, making the total  project cost to amount to N27 million.

Speaking during the inauguration of the association’s new executive at the Universal Hotel, Enugu, Dr. Obienu, said that the medical women were committed to the reduction of cervix cancer prevalence among women in the state.

She said that the association was committed to improving the standard of health of the community by education, public enlightenment and screening for communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as the pink cancer (cancer of the breast and cervix). Read more....

According to her, The focus of the association in the biennium was “Cancer of the Cervix…Preventable and Curable,” explaining that cancer of the cervix “has a near 100 percent cure rate if detected early.” “It is also preventable as one major causative factor – Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) infection has been identified and now there is an effective vaccine,” Dr Obienu stated.

Urging public-spirited individuals to support the heath programme, the MWAN president pointed out that in countries where screening for cervix cancer had been robust the death rate had been reduced to less than two persons per 100,000. “Our prayer is that as you partner with us we can work towards the reduction of the high prevalence in our country which is 23 persons per 100,000 population per year,” she said.

To achieve the target, Dr Obienu said that the association needed among other things a mammography machine estimated at N14 million to be installed at the mammography centre which a philanthropist has already pledged to build for the association.

In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke, who was a special guest at the occasion, urged the association not to relent in its vision and commitment to save lives just as he called well-meaning Nigerians to support programmes that would improve the health of the masses.

Some personalities who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavour including the former Governor of Anambra State, Dame Virgie Etiaba, Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, Sir Chris Atuegwu and Engr. Okwuchukwu Emejulu were honoured by the association at the occasion attended by dignitaries from different parts of the South East.