Caption: Dr Swaran Naidu presents to the class eight female students about cervical cancer. Photo: JOSEPHINE NAVULA.
By JOSEPHINE NAVULA
Cervical cancer is preventable out of all cancers but unfortunate for Fiji, women are not taking it seriously by going to the nearest doctors and getting themselves checked.
Those were the words of Fiji National University Associate Professor in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr Swaran Naidu, during her presentation at the Andrews Primary School in Nadi.
Dr Naidu said women should go and get frequent checkups to prevent problems.
“In Fiji, women are not having pap smears and people are not using condoms to decrease the spread virus to each other and it quite a big problem,” she said.
Dr Swaran Naidu is a prominent figure in the community and is well known for her community work. She is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who has mostly practised in Australia and spent some time in New Zealand as well, and now based in Fiji.
Class Eight student, Adi Litiana Delai. Photo: JOSEPHINE NAVULA.
Also a medical director at Viseisei Sai Health Centre, Dr Naidu said this is the first school where she had come to talk about cervical cancer.
“The response from the students is very good, I could tell that they were very eager to learn,” she said.
Class eight student, Adi Litiana Delai of Vanuso village in Gau, Lomaiviti said it was really an educational session.
“The session was really good because I had really learnt a lot about the sickness that we young women can get, if we don’t take care of us,” she said.
Dr Naidu and her medical team are doing a project that is commencing in two weeks time that will focus on empowering rural women.
This session was an initiative of Soroptimist International Club of Nadi.