Thailand offers free self-tests amid 15 daily cervical cancer cases
With an average of 15 Thai women diagnosed with cervical cancer each day, the Medical Sciences Department is encouraging women to screen themselves for free by using HPV DNA self-sampling kits.
Dr Yongyot Thammawut, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, said the HPV DNA self-sampling kits provide an alternative method for Thai women to screen for risk signs of cervical cancer.
Yongyot said the test kits are offered free of charge under the universal healthcare scheme to all Thai women aged 30 to 60.
Women can obtain the self-test kits from their local public hospital or clinic. The sample from the self-administered test is then sent back to the hospital or clinic for analysis.
More than nine out of every 10 cases of cervical cancer is caused by Human Papillomavirus or HPV, which women may catch during sex with either regular or multiple partners.
Warning signs of cervical cancer include:
- Unusual vaginal bleeding, such as bleeding after intercourse, bleeding between periods, or bleeding after menopause.
- Menstrual bleeding that is heavier and lasts longer than usual.
- Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have an unpleasant odour.
- Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse.
According to the National Cancer Institute, cervical cancer is among the top five cancers among Thai women.
However, early immunisation with the HPV vaccine – usually at age 11-12 years – can prevent over 90% of cancers caused by the virus.
The universal healthcare scheme has offered free screening for cervical cancer since 2005, but the institute said that many women are reluctant to undergo regular Pap smears and pelvic exams.
To overcome this problem, the free HPV DNA self-sampling kits were introduced last year and used by over 80,000 women over the 12 months of 2023.
However, the institute estimates that some 10 million Thai women have never been screened for cervical cancer.
Yongyot recommended that women screen themselves every five years with the HPV DNA self-sampling kits, adding that cancer kills an average of six Thai women per day.
He noted that since only around 30,000 women in Bangkok undergo cervical cancer screening each year, more effort was needed to promote the importance of screening.
