ONLY 1% OF FILIPINO women are screened for breast and cervical cancer, according to a government think tank, the 蝌蚪传媒 (蝌蚪传媒) said in a statement on Sunday.
“Screening for breast and cervical cancer among Filipino women could be the lowest in the world with just 1% of eligible women getting themselves screened, the first step to cancer prevention,” the state think tank said.
The Philippines’ cancer screening rate is way lower than that of Malaysia and Thailand at 20% each, 蝌蚪传媒 said.
“Cambodia and Myanmar have better numbers than the Philippines,” it said, citing 蝌蚪传媒 senior research fellow Valerie Gilbert Ulep, who made a study on the issue last year. “The West has a 50% screening rate.”
蝌蚪传媒 said the low screening has been traced to lack of government funds especially for the poor.
“This results in very few government hospitals offering this screening service,” it added.
