As summer begins in Yushu in June, most of the Tibetan herdsmen have returned to their counties or villages after finishing digging for cordyceps. A large-scale HPV cervical cancer screen and treat mission was launched in Qinghai Yushu, Chengduo County Zhenqin and Zhaduo town from June 24 to July 3.
United Foundation for China’s Health (UFCH) invited Professor. Qiao Youlin’s team in School of Public Health, Peking Union Medical College for expertise guidance to this mission. With tremendous supports from Yushu Health Commission, Chengduo County Women’s Federation and Chengduo Health Bureau, UFCH, Beijing One Heart Sphere Charity Foundation, together with Chengduo County Gazhong Charity Association jointly carried out this mission and a charity medical clinic.
Cervical cancer is the only type of cancer that can be prevented in advance through early screening. In areas where lack of medical resources, many women often miss the best time for treatment due to low awareness of prevention, but women’s health matters to every family. Therefore, it is especially important to promote tertiary prevention of cervical cancer in low medical resources areas. In this mission, UFCH has introduced the HPV vaccination as a primary prevention measure for cervical cancer. With the help of Prof. Qiao Youlin’s team from PUMC and Beijing Wu Lian De Charity Foundation, Walvax Biotechnology has donated 2,000 HPV vaccines to 1,000 junior high school girls in Yushu and Zhenduo County. This has enabled this mission to achieve comprehensive coverage from primary prevention (vaccine and prevention education), secondary prevention (screening) to tertiary prevention (treatment and rehabilitation) of cervical cancer, and built a solid protective barrier for local women’s health.
June 24th, UFCH organized 18 medical volunteers from United Family Healthcare (UFH) across the country to arrive in Yushu, Qinghai Province.Immediately, the team was accompanied by local partners arrived at Yushu Maternal and Child Health Hospital to set up the mission site and train the local medical practitioners.
June 25, 8a.m., there was already a long line of women in the Yushu Maternal and Child Health Hospital. These women are working in the low-income positions such as cleaner, housekeeper. They are taking this rare opportunity to check their health.
Due to the language barrier, medical volunteers had to communicate with the women repeatedly through translation from the Tibetan volunteers. This made the volunteers, who had just arrived 1 day in the area with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, frequently experienced different degrees of breathing difficulties and headaches. After a short period of oxygen intake, they immediately returned to their stations and continued to provide medical care to the local people.
In Yushu, 273 women were screened, with 40 positive samples.There are 31 of the 40 positive have returned for colposcopy and biopsy, 30 were treated right away on site.
2 Towns in Chengduo County
June 26, 8:30 a.m., the team split into two groups, drove more than 100 kilometers from Yushu to Zhenqin and Zhaduo towns, both located in Chenduo County to carry out the mission site setup and local medical practitioners training.
To bring UFH’s quality medical resources to the rural areas and advocate “connect the last mile of grassroots medical services,” this time UFCH opened the charity medical clinic to the local people in addition to this HPV mission.
Every day during the mission, the Tibetan women from the local villages and neighboring ranches lined up in the town hospitals where the mission and charity clinic were located, waiting to be screened and treated, as well as the herdsmen who have suffered by chronic illnesses seeking for medical help. Regardless of physical discomfort and fatigue, all volunteers put all their efforts, trying to screen and treat people as much as possible.
In these 2 towns from Chenduo County, 1,055 women were screened, with 181 positive samples. Of the women with positive results, 135 returned for colposcopy and biopsy, 106 were treated on site. 136 people received charity medical care.
We sincerely thank to our partners and volunteers for their selfless support, courage and dedication! UFCH will continue to follow up on the results of this screening and provide medical assistance to women who in need of further treatment.
