September 1, 2003

Preventing Cervical Cancer Workshop at Mulanje Mission Hospital
August 25 - 29, 2003
Workshop Director, Dr. Sue Makin

The morning sun was shining brightly as we started our workshop in Pittsburgh Hall. The eleven participants and two facilitators got down to business with the administration of a pre-test to introduce some of the concepts and knowledge that were to be covered. The purpose of this workshop was to train nurse-providers in the technique of visual inspection of the cervix to detect early, pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix, after applying vinegar to the cervix. Studies have shown that 94 percent of the women who "test negative" with this method, (or in other words a lesion has not been found), truly do not have the disease. Organizers felt that this particular women's health problem is very important in Malawi because cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women in Malawi. Before a frank cancer develops on the cervix, there is a five to ten year period of time when there is a treatable and curable lesion. Therefore, cervical cancer is preventable.

Comfortably situated in lovely Pittsburgh Hall, the workshop took place on the campus of Mulanje Mission Hospital in southern Malawi. This multi-purpose building was built with funds from Pittsburgh Presbytery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Five of the participants were housed in the three adjacent guestrooms in the hall, while three stayed with local staff members. The other five lived close enough to return home at the end of the day. All meals during the meeting were prepared by the chief hospital chef, Mr. Dickson.

A digital projector was used extensively to show participants visual images of the cervix which were made available by Dr. Paul Blumenthal of the Johns Hopkins Program in Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Baltimore, Maryland. Mornings were spent in teaching knowledge, while afternoons were dedicated to imparting the actual skills of visual inspection of the cervix and cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a painless, economical, and low-resource method of freezing pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix to remove the threat of developing a cancerous lesion in the future. The practical part of the program was carried out in the Mulanje Mission Hospital Family Planning Building, recently renovated by Project Hope.

Enthusiasm and determination were high as the workshop was completed on the fifth day. From these eleven participants adequately trained, the organizers hope to plant the seeds for this method to be disseminated throughout the country of Malawi. Visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid (vinegar) is an effective, practical, sustainable, economic, and important technique for developing countries to address the problem of cervical cancer.

Edna Ngwanda, Nursing Supervisor of Nkhoma Hospital of Livingstonia
Synod of Malawi, actively participated in the cervical cancer prevention
workshop.

Sue Makin

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 48