Mayabeque, Cuba: At the end of last year 895 women in Jaruco underwent the cytological or Papanicolaou test for the diagnosis of cervical cancer and of them the examination was done for the first time, just over 59 who arrived at 25 year old.
The number of patients who accessed this test decreased in relation to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and above all due to the limitations of material resources derived from the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States.
The nurse from the Neck Pathology Consultation of the Noelio Capote Polyclinic, Ailín Isern Espín, said that for more than a year they have faced a shortage of slides, gynecological applicators and other essential supplies for cytology.
The Neck Pathology Consultation in Jaruco has also been affected by the lack of products such as acetic acid, essential to make malignant or premalignant lesions visible through the video colposcopy, she pointed out.
However, except in July and August, the critical months of the pandemic, Jaruco continued to monitor the more than 500 patients with cervical cancer in its different stages, not only in the municipality, but also in Madruga, Santa Cruz del Norte and San José de Las Lajas.
Thanks to the dedication of the specialists involved in the program in the network of medical offices and the Pathology and Benign Pathology consultations, no deaths associated with this type of cancer were reported.
It is worth noting that the Jaruco Neck Pathology Consultation, in charge of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist Dr. Marcial Lesteiro, resumed its usual hours in January after the repair of the Video Colposcopy equipment located at the Noelio Capote Polyclinic in 2009 in the heat of the Comprehensive Study of the Cuban Family directed at the time to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of five types of malignant tumors.
The blockade is today the main barrier to working more efficiently to control a disease that is the fifth leading cause of death in Cuba, according to the 2019 statistical yearbook.
As long as the measures of the cruel imperial policy are relaxed, the Jaruco specialists see frustrated their aspirations to expand access to the cytological test and other diagnostic methods to adolescent females.
This group of the population that initiates sexual intercourse early and often without protection, can also become infected with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the main risk factor for developing cervical cancer.
