Zambia has the second highest per-capita rate of cervical cancer in the world. Worldwide, 85% of deaths from cervical cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries, and cervical cancer kills more women in Africa than any other form of cancer. The Zambian Department of Health, in cooperation with Be He@lthy Be Mobile and WHO’s country and regional offices, is developing a mobile -based system to alert and educate women in the age group most at risk of developing the disease – those between 25 and 45 years old. It will urge them to be screened for cervical cancer to increase the chance that early symptoms are spotted in time to prevent the disease, and it will remind them of scheduled appointments so that screenings to do this are not missed. Non-specialized health workers in rural locations also will be able to use mobile technology to consult with experts, increasing patient access to specialists’ knowledge in time to prevent serious consequences from the disease or from related conditions.
The program, expected to be launched early in 2016, also will reach out to immediate family members of women at risk for the disease, and it will intensify contact with local health workers. The government plans to include the mobile- based program in its National Cancer Control Strategic Plan for 2017-2021 – a big step for program sustainability.
