Rwanda is on course to eradicate cervical cancer - an illness that claims the lives of many women - but more effort needs to be invested in community screening, health experts have said.

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Rwanda joined the rest of the world to raise awareness about cancers on the occasion of World Cancer Day, themed: "Close the care Gap: Uniting our voices and taking action,” on Saturday, February 4.

In a symposium organized by Rwanda Biomedical Center and the Elekta Foundation, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, the Minister of Health, said it is highly possible that cervical cancer can be totally eradicated because the country has been administering a vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) to more than 90 percent of 12-year old girls, annually.

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In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer. The aim was to reduce cervical cancer incidence to less than four cases per 100,000 women per year. This should be achieved through the vaccination of at least 90 percent of girls by age of 13-15 years, 70 percent eligible women screened for cervical cancer and 90 percent of pre-cancerous lesions and invasive cancer treated, as well as 90 percent of women identified with cervical disease to receive treatment.

However, despite the continued rise in cervical cancer cases due to increased screening, there is still a gap where the level of screening remains at 23 percent only, according to available data.

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Dr. Nsanzimana emphasized on the need of early screening and treatment which present higher chances for a patient to be cured. As noted, many deaths occur when it is diagnosed at a later stage, at the expense of many country’s resources.

Worldwide, breast cancer and cervical cancer are the most prevailing types of cancer for women, and prostate cancer for men.

In Rwanda, at least 5,000 people are diagnosed with cancer diseases annually. But WHO predicts that the number should be as high as 8,800 people annually, which means that there are more people who die of cancer or still move around with undiagnosed cancer.

In 2022, at least 617 new people were diagnosed with cervical cancer, according to the national cancer registry.

Jacqueline Musoni, a resident in Kicukiro District, shared her journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, the process of seeking treatment and undergoing operations and chemotherapy sessions until she was cured.

However, she noted, when it comes to medical expenses, it was not easy for her despite being able to use community health insurance where a patient only pays 10 percent of the medical bill.

"Once someone is diagnosed with cancer, they are hit by the fear of the means to afford medical expenses, and the poverty that may arise from using all of the family's resources on that. Some even opt to not seek any treatment because of that,” she said.

Dr. Francois Uwinkindi, Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Division at RBC, noted that treatment for cancer remains expensive, globally. This is the reason why, he noted, the country is putting more effort in its prevention, vaccination, early screening and treatment.

"It might cost up to Rwf5 million for an individual to receive cancer treatment only, depending on the type, stage, and their age,” he said.

"When you compare that amount with the financial capacity of people, it is really much.”

He acknowledged that while the health insurance scheme may cover 90 percent of the bill, Rwf500,000 may still not be affordable for an average person.

"We continue to discuss ways of easing access for cancer treatment so that someone may not only be diagnosed with cancer but also be able to undergo the whole treatment process.”