Staff Reporter
Parliament is currently discussing the allocation of funds for acquiring Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) Machines to detect and treat cervical cancer in women in the upcoming fiscal year.
Cervical cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with over half a million new cases and more than 250,000 deaths annually. Its primary cause is the human papillomavirus (HPV), a widespread sexually transmitted infection.
According to the 2023 WHO report, cervical cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in Uganda, with significant incidence and mortality rates in 2020.
In his recent address at the sendoff service for Beatrice Kahimakazi, Dr. Nicholas Kamara, Member of Parliament for Kabale Municipality and Chairman of the Parliamentary Forum on Non-Communicable Diseases, emphasized that if the budget is approved, every referral hospital and district hospital nationwide will receive a LEEP machine in the upcoming financial year.
Dr. Kamara highlighted that procuring these machines will greatly reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer among women.
