YWCA Lagos Branch Champions HPV Vaccines for Women

Oluchi Chibuzor

In an effort to champion Cervical Cancer Awareness in women, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Lagos Branch, has called on the Lagos State Government to reconsider its stands on Human papillomavirus vaccines (HPV) provision for women above a certain age.

According to them, this is because most women in the underserved communities cannot afford the cost of the vaccines and as such are putting their lives at risk.

Speaking at a cervical cancer awareness and lifestyle support outreach in Sangrouse Market, Lagos Island, the Vice-Chairman, YWCA, Lagos Branch, Dr. Olatokunbo Oseni, acknowledged the urgent need to make access to vaccines more accessible to underserved areas.

She praised the effort of some notable organisations to have provided over 60 percent discount for women to undergo some medical examinations like Clinix.

She said with over 500 people targeted to participate in the health awareness, they have seen a couple of young women having discharge in their breast.

According to her, “Part of the test that we are going to do for them is a breast scan and we have taken down their names and we have told them where to go and do that test. It should be done for them at no cost because Clinix is giving us a 60 percent discount.

“YWCA Lagos is paying 40 percent for them to have those tests done. So, they will do a breast scan, they will do what we call a prolactin assay to ascertain what is causing that breast discharge in them

On her part, the Chief Nursing Officer, University of Lagos Medical Centre, Dr. Oluwayemi Banjoko, praised the Lagos government effort in combating cervical cancer among women.

However, she stressed the need to make it more accessible for more women across all ages considering the cost of the vaccines.

“I know Lagos State in the last few months has introduced these free HPV vaccines, the cervical cancer vaccine for children, not for the adults.

“We beckon to them that they should do more and then give women and children more access to these vaccines in order to assist and prevent the disease.

“We call on NGOs just as YWCA is doing to equally come up with things like this and move into the suburb areas where we know we have people who may not get access or knowledge to all these things so we take it to the adult steps for them to have good access to good health,” she said.