The development of screening and tratment services for diabetes, hypertension and cervical cancer: this is the goal of the project “Prevention and screening of non-transmittable diseases”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (AICS). CUAMM together with The Community of Sant’Egidio and AIFO (Italian Association Amici di Roul Follereau) are carrying out this project in Maputo, Sofala and Zambezia provinces. During the years many progresses have been made: 22,738 people who did a screening test for diabetes, 61,44% of those were women and 3,009 of them were pregnant; 189,159 did hypertension screening test, 63% of those were women. 50,490 women did a screening test for cervical cancer, whose 6,9% had a positive response.
Awareness campaigns are essential to spread information about chronic diseases among the communities, to make people able to recognize symptoms and encourage them to use healthcare services; this is why to invest in them it so important.
“The community had a positive reaction to our door to door campaigns” – stated Dorca Abano, 30 years old, beneficiary and activist of the community-. For this reason it is also important to make awarness campaigns. Many women are spontaneously participating, although they have never talked to us, activists. Maybe they heard other women talking about us. This is why I will keep on talking to them, to let them know that they can be treated and feel better. I want them to know that this service is available and also very important”.
98 activists are working to spread information and promote the prevention of those diseases by visiting people at home. Awareness and screening community campaigns are also supported by radio spots and informative videos. Today, 400, 000 people has been reached. The main goal was to arise more health awareness between women. In the past, when they tried to access healcare services, they went back home without receiving any kind of treatment. Today is not so anymore. Thanks to the availability of technical instruments and a development of medical equipment, it is possible to guarantee a higher-quality service.
“When I started, in January, the health center was already open but the availabilty of technical instruments was limited. – tells Rita Simao, nurse at Mutua healthcare center in Sofala. Of course we had a room and we could visit patients, but we had any instruments for cryotherapy, which we received in July. Before, we were visiting patients and if they had injuries over 5% we had to send them to Dondo healthcare center, which is 30 Km far away from here”.
Thanks to concrete prevention and treating campaigns and actions we can guarantee a higher life-quality to patients who suffer from non-transmittable chronic diseases.
