INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The health workers arrive on a wooden cart, hijabs blowing in the wind, as they are pulled along a dirt road by a horse
Sand swirls in the air as children run behind, trying to keep up
In the boxes are self-testing kits for human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer.Cervical cancer is a growing global
health challenge, with more than 604,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2020 and an estimated 342,000 women killed.About 90% of the new
cases and deaths occurred in low and middle-income countries, where access to preventive measures and treatment is often limited
In Bangladesh, a delta nation crisscrossed by rivers and tributaries, such access can prove particularly difficult, especially for those
The organisation began operations in 2002 after pioneering one of the first NGO-run hospital ships in the world.Quick GuideA common
conditionShowThe human toll of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is huge and rising
Instead, they are caused by a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors
Approximately 80% are preventable, and all are on the rise, spreading inexorably around the world as ageing populations and lifestyles
pushed by economic growth and urbanisation make being unhealthy a global phenomenon.NCDs, once seen as illnesses of the wealthy, now have a
diagnosed accurately or treated.Investment in tackling these common and chronic conditions that kill 71% of us is incredibly low, while the
are seeing a fraction of the money needed being invested or donated
Attention remains focused on the threats from communicable diseases, yet cancer death rates have long sped past the death toll from malaria,
TB and HIV/Aids combined.'A common condition' is a Guardian series reporting on NCDs in the developing world: their prevalence, the
solutions, the causes and consequences, telling the stories of people living with these illnesses.Tracy McVeigh, editorThank you for your
feedback.In Bangladesh, cervical and breast cancers are now the most common killers of women, following the pattern of the last decade in
the developing world as diseases shift from communicable to non-communicable
An estimated 17,686 new cases and 10,362 deaths from cervical cancer occur annually
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, more than 50 million Bangladeshi women are at risk of developing cervical
If diagnosed at the precursor stage, cervical cancer can be successfully treated
Friendship has been working to screen and prevent cervical cancer since it started, but in 2021, it began implementing the Prevention and
Screening Innovation Project Towards Elimination of Cervical Cancer (Prescrip-tec), an EU-funded project that is focused on reaching remote
communities.Women attend a health-awareness session where they learn cervical cancer is easy to identify and that treatment can be rapidOn a
sunny afternoon, in a small courtyard in Kamarbashpata, a char in Kurigram district, a health-awareness session is taking place
More than a dozen women aged between 30 and 50 sit cross-legged in a circle, beneath a canopy that shields them from the sun
A mother breastfeeds her baby under her sari while a toddler scrambles on the back of another; this is a safe space and the women are
led by Sumi Begum, a Friendship Community Medic-aide (FCM), who sits at the front in a blue jacket behind a diagram of a cervix
says Begum.She is one of hundreds of local women trained by Friendship to provide basic medical services in their community, including
referrals, ante and postnatal care, nutrition, family planning and hygiene awareness.Health workers dispense self-testing kits; they also
have a mobile app for gathering dataToday, Begum is teaching the village women about the health risks arising from cervical cancer and how
the self-testing kits are handed out and health workers are on hand for women who want to test there and then
The health workers are equipped with MHealth, a mobile-based app that helps them gather and store patient data, and connect to a doctor
whenever they need.The completed tests are sent off to a lab, and only those who are HPV positive are invited for further screening
Since the Prescrip-tec project began in 2021, 121 women have tested positive for HPV; 140 patients have been treated with cryotherapy and
thermal ablation, while 29 were referred for advanced treatment.Yet despite the increased awareness in the area, many women remain reluctant
But vaginas are important
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We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionOn a cool,
clear morning, Dr Mosamat Kulsum heads over to EFH, the floating hospital ship where she works, currently stationed in Chilmari, a
hospital vessel allows its healthcare workers to reach remote parts of the countryA long line of patients queue outside the ship, which
only by boat, where she lives with her husband and three children
Begum carefully walks along the wooden plank connecting the land to the ship, washing her muddy feet with a bucket of water, before making
her way to her appointment.After completing a self-swab at home last month, the 35-year-old has been called to the hospital for further
When her name is called, she gets up and hurries into the gynaecology room
Kulsum tells her.The procedure takes less than 10 minutes and Kulsum is able to confirm the negative result almost immediately
Rani remembers attending her first courtyard session five years ago and completing her VIA screening soon after
But then her health worker rang her and asked her to come in for further tests
The results confirmed her fears; she had developed precancerous lesions
lapping up against the side of the ship
A small wooden boat suddenly arrives, delivering a large cool box containing the latest batch of completed self-swab kits
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
