In response to the World Health Organization’s 2018 call for the elimination of cervical cancer, Unitaid announced a US$60 million investment to improve screening and treatment of women with cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries. In July 2019, CHAI, funded by Unitaid, launched a project to increase access to screening and treatment in India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia. The project footprint subsequently expanded to include Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
This white paper documents the project’s experience with rolling out thermal ablation, a portable and effective tool to treat cervical precancer, as well as appropriate training. The paper shows that thermal ablation has the potential to substantially expand access to treatment in low- and middle-income countries, where almost 90 percent of cervical cancer deaths occur.
