Pretoria: As the country commemorates the 70th anniversary of the historic 1956 Women's March, the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is celebrating a 29% increase in cervical cancer screenings across the province.
According to South African Government News Agency, a total of 198,611 women were screened during the 2025/26 financial year, compared with 153,703 in 2024/25. This represents an increase of 44,908 women accessing a service that can detect changes in the cervix early, before they develop into cancer. Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Faith Mazibuko, stated that the progress demonstrates what can be achieved when women have access to health information and services. She emphasized the importance of ensuring women are empowered with information and access to services that can save their lives.
The improvement in screenings is attributed to cervical cancer awareness drives implemented across all five districts from the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. The West Rand recorded the greatest improvement, while Ekurhuleni has been identified for further targeted intervention to increase screening uptake. Mazibuko noted that the increase is encouraging, but their work will continue until every eligible woman understands the importance of screening and can access the service.
According to the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa's March 2024 report, cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. The report highlighted that 18 of the 20 countries with the highest cervical cancer burden globally are in the African Region, which accounted for 23% of global cervical cancer deaths in 2022. However, cervical cancer is largely preventable through Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and regular screening, and it can be cured when detected early and treated promptly.
The increase in screening complements the department's single-dose HPV vaccination campaign currently underway across Gauteng. The campaign targets eligible Grade-5 girls aged nine years and older, protecting them against high-risk HPV types that cause most cervical cancer cases. During the 2025/26 implementation period, 72,249 Grade-5 girls were vaccinated at public schools, while a further 9,740 were vaccinated at independent schools.
In the current financial year (2026/27), the department will continue with awareness drives and train Ward-Based Primary Health Care Outreach Teams to provide education during household visits. Under the department's screening programme, HIV-negative women are screened at the ages of 30 and 50, while women living with HIV are eligible for screening from the age of 20.
The department encouraged women not to wait for symptoms before going for screening, as early changes in the cervix may not cause noticeable symptoms. Women are also encouraged to seek medical attention if they experience abnormal vaginal bleeding, including bleeding after sex, between periods or after menopause; unusually heavy or prolonged periods; unusual vaginal discharge; pain during sex; or lower abdominal pain.
This Women's Day, the department calls on women to make their health part of the continuing march towards equality and empowerment by going for cervical cancer screening and encouraging other women to do the same. Parents and caregivers are also urged to sign and promptly return HPV vaccination consent forms to schools so that eligible girls do not miss the opportunity to receive protection against cervical cancer.
