How to Get Free Cervical Cancer Screening in Quezon City
Don't wait until it's too late.
(SPOT.ph) Cervical cancer is the second deadliest cancer for Filipino women, claiming over 4,000 lives every year, despite being both preventable and treatable when detected early. To address this, Quezon City is offering free cervical cancer screening for women starting next month.
Starting February, Quezon City residents aged 30 to 49 can avail of free HPV DNA testing through select SouthStar Drug outlets or via the Quezon City Health Department's partner organization, Women Workers for Health Empowerment (WHEN).
The SouthStar Drug branches include Matalino, Quezon City; Novaliches Robinsons; Yuseco, Manila; and Shopwise, Parañaque.
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How to get cervical cancer screening for free
The process is designed to be simple and convenient. Women can pick up a test kit at participating pharmacies, with pharmacists available to assist in using the kit onsite. Alternatively, the test can be performed at home, following the provided instructions.
Once the sample is collected, it is returned to the drugstore where it will be sent to a laboratory through the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
If a test yields a positive result, more steps will be taken, including thermal ablation intervention at designated health centers. Referrals to partner hospitals will be provided for cases requiring more advanced care.
This initiative is part of Quezon City’s broader Integrated Cancer Control Ordinance (QCICCO), which allocated P28 million this year to screen 20,000 women for cervical cancer. It builds on the city’s ongoing cancer prevention programs, which screened nearly 17,000 women for cervical cancer and over 67,000 for breast cancer in 2023.
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