The National Vaccine Institute has proposed the expansion of the Basic Minimum Primary Healthcare Package to include cervical cancer vaccination, screening and treatment, as part of the government’s free primary healthcare policy. 

The acting Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, who made the call at the HPV Awareness Campaign Symposium in Accra, urged policymakers to also prioritise cancer-related interventions in national healthcare planning.

Event

The symposium was organised by the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS), Ghana Chapter, in collaboration with the National Vaccine Institute as part of its mission to contribute to the elimination of papillomavirus-related diseases and its activities to mark the 2025 HPV awareness campaign.

It was held on the theme: “One Less Worry: Marching Towards the Elimination of Cervical Cancer through Equitable Access to HPV Vaccines in Ghana”. It aims to promote education, advocacy and policy action on Human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention.

HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection, and cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer caused by HPV.

Globally, March 4 is commemorated as International HPV Awareness Day (IHAD) to raise awareness of HPV-related diseases, prevention tools and vaccination efforts. 

Present were the Ghana IPVS Ambassadors : Prof. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, Dr Edward Dassah, Dr Emmanuel Timmy Donkoh and others.

He said research findings from CCPTC indicated that among 5,217 women screened (average age 40.1 years), 29.1 per cent tested positive  for high-risk HPV infections and cervical lesions.

The findings, he said, “combining HPV DNA testing with visual inspection (VIA) or mobile colposcopy could be more cost-effective than recalling HPV-positive women for additional testing”.

He said the centre has also trained nurses to scale up screening efforts nationwide. 

HPV 

The Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Dr Peter Yeboah, said HPV vaccination is the most cost-effective way to reduce the burden of cervical cancer.

“Scientific evidence confirms that even a single dose of the HPV vaccine provides long-term protection against high-risk HPV strains,” he said.

Mr Yeboah stressed that including boys in vaccination programmes would further reduce HPV transmission and promote gender equity in healthcare.

He urged policymakers to integrate HPV vaccines into routine immunisation programmes and provide subsidies to ensure affordability. 

Commitment

The officer in charge of Non-Communicable Diseases, World Health Organisation (NCD-WHO), Dr Pascal Kingsley Mwin, said WHO was committed to supporting Ghana’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by ensuring equitable access to HPV vaccines, strengthening healthcare capacity, scaling up HPV vaccination nationwide and fostering community trust in the vaccination programme.