SIMANGGANG: A total of 32,000 women are targeted to undergo cervical cancer screening through Human Papillomavirus Deoxyribonucleic Acid (HPV DNA) testing this year.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, announced that the ministry, working through the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), remains committed to safeguarding women’s health as part of broader cervical cancer prevention efforts.
“We are hopeful that more women will step forward for cervical cancer screening through HPV DNA testing. Our goal is to screen at least 32,000 women this year,” the minister said during the official launch of the National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month Celebration 2026.
The event took place at Dewan Suarah Sri Aman on Saturday (Jan 24), where LPPKN Chairperson, Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim. read the minister’s officiating speech text.
The ministry has already rolled out the Cervical Cancer Elimination Tour across Sarawak, Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
In Sarawak, Kampung Santubong in Kuching has been chosen as the pilot site, with plans to complete screening of all eligible women by 2027.
Progress has been encouraging, with 240 women – representing 36.5 per cent of the target population – already screened by December 2025. Of these, 30 tested positive for HPV.
Since the programme’s inception in 2019, Malaysia has screened 198,001 women nationwide through HPV DNA testing.
The initiative has identified 15,315 positive HPV cases, with 210 pre-cancerous cases referred to hospitals for treatment and 24 cervical cancer cases successfully treated.
In Sarawak specifically, 53,099 women have been tested, yielding 4,368 positive HPV cases. Amongst these, 91 were confirmed as pre-cancerous whilst 10 progressed to cervical cancer.
“Despite the high number of positive HPV detections, we have successfully prevented many cases from developing into cancer through early detection,” Nancy emphasised.
The minister highlighted that Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, observed globally each January, serves as more than just an annual event. It provides a crucial platform for raising awareness amongst women about the importance of prevention and early detection.
The event was attended by Lingga state assemblywoman, Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor; LPPKN Director-General, Datuk Abdul Shukur Abdullah; and Sri Aman District Officer, Shariff Bujang.
