BLACK River, St Elizabeth — As the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) works to establish a cancer registry in St Elizabeth, medical professionals are finding out that the parish is one of the “hotspots” for cancer-related deaths.

Until recently, the underpinning challenge was the lack of resources in the public health care facilities, particularly with regard to cervical cancer, as there was no colposcope to allow follow-up exams when when pap smear results are abnormal.

A colposcope is a piece of equipment that allows for close examination of the cervix, vagina and vulva for signs of disease. The procedure is called a colposcopy.

To get one done, women in St Elizabeth had to travel sometimes lengthy and costly distances outside the parish and often ended up on long waiting lists.

However, it was the dawning of a new day in mid-July when roughly 30 rural women benefited from the first official use of a donated digital video colposcope at the Black River Health Centre. The machine was a gift from the Sandals Foundation to the Women’s Health Network, and according to representatives of Sandals, the gesture forms part of a commitment to provide funding of US$80,000 over a two-year period to support women’s health issues.

Women’s Health Network is a non-governmental organisation that started in 2013. It carries out community health missions in St Elizabeth and other underserved communities in places such as Kingston, where the organisation is based, and in St Mary. The health missions reportedly pull on a wide range of medical and nursing personnel to offer mostly preventive health care, at no cost to the recipients.

Dr Rudolph Stevens, executive director of the Women’s Health Network, noted that the digital video colposcope is efficient as it enhances the ability to see and “rationalise” changes on the cervix to prevent unnecessary treatment. The procedure, he said, is minimally invasive, not very painful, and is not time-consuming. The machine is also portable.

Lacovia resident Taiveka Hosang, and Curl Williams from Burnt Savannah, who were among the women at the health centre, welcomed the equipment. They agreed that waiting can be both unnerving and inconvenient.

“Early detection can save our lives. Sometimes to afford things it’s a bit hard and to get such an opportunity at completely no charge, it’s a great thing,” said Hosang.

Dr Tonia Dawkins Beharie, a medical officer of health in St Elizabeth, said that cervical cancer, unlike some other cancers, can be detected and treated early and women who have been on waiting lists for up to eight months now have a better chance of accessing care that can prevent the condition.

She said that in further addressing the problem of delayed results, in time, a new procedure that will be done on a national level will replace the need for pap smears and in that case the colposcope will also come in handy.

Meanwhile, parish manager for the St Elizabeth Health Department Sean Brissett said that the health facilities will not be able to provide all that is required to satisfy the health needs of the parish and lauded the public/private partnership.

— Alicia Sutherland