CEBU City residents can now avail themselves of free screening for the early detection of cervical cancer.
The Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) launched a Cervical Cancer Elimination (CCE) Campaign on May 8, 2025, marking a significant step in the fight against one of the country’s leading causes of death among women.
The program adopts a decentralized approach, establishing three key treatment hubs: the CCHD, the Kinasang-an Health Center for southern Cebu, and the Lahug Birthing and Health Center for the northern part of the city.
“With the partnership with Jhpiego, I am very, very happy that I was chosen to be the pilot area for this project,” said CCHD head Dr. Daisy Villa.
“With Jhpiego, we had a training, they targeted 5,000 women to be screened from 15 to 49 years of age,” she added.
During the launching, the screening services started with women from some barangays in Cebu availing themselves of the free screening.
The program, which was already started in April, will run until August.
Free screening
Villa explained that this screening serves as secondary prevention, facilitating
early detection.
Primary prevention, on the other hand, focuses on preventing the disease altogether, primarily through vaccinations for individuals aged nine to 13 for HPV-DNA collection.
Tertiary prevention involves interventions to slow or halt the disease’s progression and restore natural function as effectively as possible.
The CCHD already provides colposcopy, free screenings, and vaccination drives.
This campaign, a collaborative effort between the Cebu City Health Department, the Department of Health (DOH) 7, and the Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Jhpiego), aims to broaden access to early screening, prevention, and treatment of cervical cancer, particularly for women in local communities.
Partnership
As part of the launch, Jhpiego offered training.
Jhpiego donated three thermal ablation devices to the designated treatment hubs in Cebu City.
This donation ensures immediate treatment access for women who receive a positive test result.
The initiative is supported by the Centralized Model for HPV DNA Screening (CLAMS) Project, utilizing the Cobas system, and receives partial funding from Olivia Rodrigo’s Fund 4 Good, stemming from her GUTS World Tour in the Philippines.
Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among Filipino women and poses a significant threat, especially to those living with HIV.
Health officials underscore that despite its preventability, the disease claims the lives of approximately 12 women daily in the Philippines due to low screening rates and
delayed treatment.
Villa hopes that with the program, women will be “empowered” to be mindful of their health.
She added that the city’s commitment to leading efforts to deliver free screening and education directly to barangays, ensures accessibility for women from all socioeconomic backgrounds. \ CDF