Roche today welcomed the launch of the National Women’s Checkup Week (NWCW) in Singapore for the second year running to empower women to take action and control of their own health. In collaboration with organisations including Singapore Cancer Society (SCS), the #MakeTheMostImportantDate campaign will coincide with Mother’s Day on Sunday, 12th May 2024.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet it is the 10th most common cancer among women in Singapore, and the 4th most frequent cancer among women between 30 and 39 years of age.
The NWCW campaigns second edition launches following data from a new Asia Pacific wide survey conducted by Roche, which revealed that women are de-prioritising their health, while fundamental gaps around cervical cancer continue to persist.2 The survey which explored awareness and attitudes of women’s health with almost 3,000 women in the Asia Pacific region, exposed three key barriers holding women back.
- Women are time-poor: Almost half of women put the needs of their family before their own, often delaying or even stopping medical treatment as a result
- Fear: More than one third of women have never had a cervical screening and are not planning to.1 Women voiced concerns of feeling anxious before a cervical cancer check-up due to perceived pain and discomfort (17%), fear over the results (17%) or feeling embarrassed, as the key reasons for not screening.
- Gaps in awareness and support: Although this is not the case in Singapore, more than half of women surveyed in Asia have little to no knowledge of women’s health tests and screenings, including cervical cancer diagnostic methods.2 Many women are also not getting screened as they presume there is nothing wrong with them.2 Waiting for symptoms to show can be fatally too late for women.
Dr Ida Ismail-Pratt, President of the Society of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology Singapore (SCCPS) and committee member of the SCS Women’s Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month Committee said,
“This new survey reinforces an urgent need to reduce barriers and intensify efforts to ensure women feel supported when it comes to their health. As the current data in Singapore suggests almost 90% of women are aware of cervical screening tests, yet screening uptake continues to be low.
Only two in five women aged between 25 to 74 years have been for a cervical cancer screening in the last three to five years. This indicates despite high awareness of cervical tests; unfortunately, Singaporean women are still not taking action.
Improving access to information on where and how to get tested through initiatives like National Women’s Check-up Week are critical to encourage and drive more women in Singapore to seek out information and get tested.
Cervical cancer can be prevented, and no woman should have to suffer from the disease. Screenings are the first and most importantstep to save lives”, added Dr Ida Ismail-Pratt.
“At Roche Diagnostics, we understand the unique challenges that women face when it comes to their health. The National Women’s Check-up Week is not just a campaign; it’s a movement to promote awareness, education, testing and support for women in Singapore, celebrating the resilience and strength of women and acknowledging the need for them to put their health first, even though they have others to look after or support,” said Karen Yu, Country Manager Singapore, Roche Diagnostics.
Following the success of the campaign in Singapore, Roche will also be collaborating with local patient organisations to launch the first-ever National Women’s Checkup Week across four markets in Asia, including Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand.
By encouraging conversations on the importance of cervical testing it is hoped that stigmas, barriers, and shame associated with cervical cancer can be lowered. The campaign aims to inspire women and amplify the importance of fostering a culture of selfcare, where women taking care of their health is celebrated and encouraged.
Activities including women’s health talks, screening and community events will run from Sunday 5th May 2024 until Sunday 12th May.
Book your free cancer screening at Singapore Cancer Society here.