Now Reading
Cervical Cancer Is A Life-Threatening Problem Among Malaysian Women, Here’s Why

Cervical Cancer Is A Life-Threatening Problem Among Malaysian Women, Here’s Why

Only 25% of Malaysian women are aware of cervical cancer screenings.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.


Malaysia plans to fully adopt HPV testing for screening cervical cancer patients by 2023.

Cervical cancer is a disease that affects a woman’s cervix – the lower end of the female uterus – and it is the 2nd most common cancer in women after breast cancer.

(photoroyalty/Freepik)

According to Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali, it’s also the 3rd most common cancer found in Malaysian women and the 9th most common in the country.

The Malaysian Health Ministry (MOH) also revealed that 10.5% of female deaths in the country’s public hospitals are also caused by cervical cancer.

There are several different forms of cervical cancer which takes time to develop, thus early detection, treatment and vaccinations are critical in determining life and death.

There are multiple ways in which cervical cancer can be diagnosed with the common method being the Papanicolaou test, also known as a Pap smear.

A Pap smear involves taking samples of a woman’s cervical cells from inside the vagina. The sample is then tested for abnormalities and potential cancers.

It’s recommended that a woman between the age of 21 to 65 and those who are sexually active undergo a Pap smear every 3 years.

An HPV or human papillomavirus infection test is relatively an add-on to a Pap smear and is done the same way, It works by detecting the virus which causes cervical cancers in a patient’s body.

Though the disease is life threatening, it appears that Malaysian women are not particularly aware of its danger.

Based on data provided by the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2019) only 25% of Malaysian women were aware of cervical cancer tests while 60% have not taken a Pap test in the last 3 years.

Dr. Noor Azmi said that Malaysian women express discomfort and fears of undergoing such procedures.

The doctor explained that Pap smears can be done at public clinics and hospitals at only RM1 and urged women to go for checkups.

Additionally, vaccinations against cervical cancer are also available to prevent the disease. HPV immunization injections are given to women between 13 and 45-years-old.

Malaysia also has a program that provides free immunization for Malaysian citizens.

Reportedly, some 365,143 women have benefited from the program which involves just 3 injections spread out over a year.


Share your thoughts on TRP’s FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

© 2024 The Rakyat Post. All Rights Reserved. Owned by 3rd Wave Media Sdn Bhd