Better protection: Director of Health Dr Lam Ping-yan (centre) says cervical cancer can be prevented by regular cervical smears to detect early cell changes and get appropriate medical treatment.

A screening programme will be launched to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer - the fifth most common cancer and the eighth leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Hong Kong.

Speaking at the launch of the cervical screening programme today, Director of Health Dr Lam Ping-yan said cervical cancer can be prevented by regular cervical smears to detect early cell changes and get appropriate medical treatment.

Noting that there were 444 new cases and 128 deaths due to cervical cancer in 2000, Dr Lam hoped that, following the programme's launch, the overall coverage of cervical screening in Hong Kong will increase and fewer women will develop and die from cervical cancer.

Programme targets women aged 25 to 64

The programme's target group is women aged 25 to 64, who have ever had sex. The department will send them personalised letters to encourage them to join the programme. 

Other women may be screened according to professional judgement, Dr Lam said.

Cervical screening services are available from private practitioners, the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, the department's Maternal & Child Health Centres and women's centres run by other organisations.

Women in the target group are encouraged to receive cervical smears every three years following negative smears for two consecutive years.

"At the moment, the private sector is a major provider of cervical screening services in Hong Kong. Collaboration between private and public sectors is crucial to the success of the programme," Dr Lam said.

Central registry to be established

One of the key features of the programme is the establishment of a central registry to support multiple functions, such as enrolment of the target population, maintaining information on screening history and results, tracking use and follow up, linking records across different clinics and facilitating research and programme evaluation.

"Women and service providers are encouraged to register with the programme," Dr Lam said.