FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 24 July 2023 -- Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation on Sunday 23 July received a delegation of three medical doctors from the Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital in China, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China. The team will provide technical support and trainings to strengthen management of cervical cancer.

This support is part of a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund project, initiated by the Government of China and UNFPA in 2020. The project is helping to reduce preventable maternal deaths by improving reproductive healthcare for women and girls and strengthening prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a major cause of mortality and the second most frequent cancer among women in Sierra Leone, with an estimated 400 women dying of the disease annually. Through the South-South cooperation project, cervical cancer screening and treatment services have been established for the first time at nine public health facilities. As a result, more than 4,100 women have been screened for cervical cancer, and thousands of women and girls have been reached with information to raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health including cervical cancer.

Speaking at an event to welcome the visiting delegation, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, noted the long standing ties of cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Sierra Leone and expressed his thanks to the Government of China and the visiting medical team for their support to Sierra Leone. He highlighted that Sierra Leone has developed a comprehensive national strategy to eliminate cancer, with support from the South-South cooperation project and UNFPA. In addition to scaling up screening and treatment, the strategy focuses on vaccination of girls to ensure that cervical cancer becomes a disease of the past.

Following the three-week visit by the medical team from China, twelve Sierra Leonean health care providers will travel to Hunan province for additional advanced training that will enable them to continue to strengthen national capacities to manage cervical cancer in Sierra Leone.

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Wang Qing, expressed delight that through the South-South cooperation partnership, China has helped to strengthen capacities to manage cervical cancer and improve the health of women and girls. “China will continue to support Sierra Leone’s efforts to improve public health, including by reaching vulnerable women who are at risk of cervical cancer and other disease,” Ambassador Wang assured.

UNFPA’s Representative to Sierra Leone, Nadia Rasheed, highlighted that the South-South partnership initiative is addressing one of the most preventable forms of cancer, stating that “cervical cancer is a devastating disease that is largely preventable and treatable if it is detected early. The support provided through this project is helping to raise awareness among women and build capacities in the health sector to end avoidable suffering and loss of life,” Ms. Rasheed said.

Media Contacts:

• John Baimba Sesay | Web and Media Analyst | UNFPA Sierra Leone |  jsesay@unfpa.org
• Shujun Liu  | Communications Analyst| UNFPA China | email: sliu@unfpa.org