As part of its £100 million Cancer Strategy to improve prevention, detection, treatment and survival rates of cancer, the SNP Government will launch a £100,000 cervical cancer awareness campaign this summer.
The ‘Be Cervix Savvy’ campaign will tour high streets and retail parks across Scotland from mid-June, with volunteers from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust raising awareness of the signs of the disease.
Health Secretary Shona Robison MSP said:
“We are making inroads in tackling cancer but we need to go further and develop innovative approaches that ensure everyone can get the information on screening they need, and raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer.
“Cervical cancer is largely preventable and screening is the best way to protect against the disease, yet one in four Scottish women still don’t get their regular smear tests. That is why this campaign is so important and will help us to catch cancer at the earliest stages.”
Robert Music, Chief Executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, added:
“We are delighted that the SNP Government has funded us to bring our hugely successful 'Be Cervix Savvy' Roadshow to Scotland.
“Starting in June and travelling over five weeks, we will be speaking to women across Scotland about how they can reduce their risk of cervical cancer, and hope to save lives by focusing on areas where cervical screening uptake is especially low.”
Kenneth Gibson MSP commented:
“The combined uptake for cervical cancer screening under NHS Ayrshire & Arran from 01 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 was 74.8%. This may be slightly above the national average of 73.4%, but it still means that one in four Ayrshire women aged 25-64 are still not getting checked.
“We know uptake is higher in areas of lower deprivation. For instance, for women aged 25 to 64 in the least deprived areas of Scotland was 78.3%, compared with 67.4% in the most deprived areas.
“Screening is already free, so the key to tackling this health inequality is getting out there and raising as much awareness as we can.”
The campaign will launch on 18 June 2018 and run for five weeks. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.
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