BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Health in the Cordillera spearheaded a mass cancer screening particularly for cervical and breast cancer at the DSWD-CAR Training Center in Baguio City on Dec. 4 to 5, 2024.
Regional Cancer Prevention and Control Program Coordinator Rock Tubaña said that the screenings were intended to reduce the rate of cancer diseases in the Cordillera.
“This mass cancer screening ay ginawa po with the initiative of the DOH-CHD CAR to observe the national campaign on cervical cancer screening, as well as yung ating breast cancer screening sa Cordillera because we are now looking at reducing the burden of cancer diseases sa ating mga region po,” Tubaña said in an interview.
The first day was for employees of regional government offices while the second day catered to private institutions and offices in Baguio City and Benguet.
This was in partnership with the Baguio City local government unit through the Baguio City Health Services Office, and with stakeholders such as the Philippine League of Government and Private Midwives Inc., Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, ICanServe Foundation, and the Rotary Club of Passport International.
Tubaña said they targeted employees who cannot avail screening services in primary care facilities because of their work schedules.
“We reach these services sa ating mga manggagawa for them to know and have these screenings as part of their routinary self care din po,” he said.
Bea Pamintuan, DOH Accounting Clerk III, who availed of the screening services expressed her appreciation for the event. She said that it is important for her to know if she has something in her body that needs a checkup.
“When I found out about it, sabi ko, I’ll go for it because opportunity na po iyon for screening, for check up na rin sa breast especially because ang mga katawan ng mga babae, they are very delicate and very, very prone to many illness,” she said.
Melanie Daza, a COMELEC staff, commented that this is a good program of the DOH.
“It’s very good kasi normally, you avail of the services of private clinic tapos, syempre magbabayad ka. I think you pay around P1,000 plus for ‘yung cervical cancer screening, so okay ito for government employees na to avail of kasi hindi naman lahat nakakapagpa-screening, pupunta sa private clinic to avail of the services parang ganon, kaya okay ito. Very nice na program nila.”
Intensifying their initiative of advocating for cancer awareness, the DOH-CAR empowers government office employees through the mass screening and advises them to be educated and be advocates of cancer awareness. Further, make it a routine to get tested.
“We want them to know na may mga ganitong serbisyo sa mga primary care facilities na anytime they can avail, so with this, we want them to be knowledgeable kung ano itong mga services na ito. And when they get to know of these services, they should also advocate for this. We remind them na gawin itong parte ng kanilang buhay to have the screening as their routine,” Tubaña said.
It is advised to get screened as part of the early detection and high chance of treatment.
Breast and cervical cancer are the top two cancers among Filipino women. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies said that in 2023, the Philippines has one of the lowest screening rates of breast and cervical cancer in the world, with only about one percent or 540,000 out of 54 million women undergoing cancer screening.
A “big portion of the country’s cancer burden is preventable” if more early screening can be conducted, according to the PDIS. ( JDP/DEG/ Betha Servito- PIA CAR- SLU Intern)
