The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday provided free cervical and breast cancer screenings to at least 150 female public school teachers at Angelo Loyola School in Carmona, Cavite.
The event, held on Valentine’s Day, aimed to promote women’s health through early detection of cancer and other medical conditions.
“Early screening lowers the risk of cancer because treatment can begin before the disease worsens,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said.
Participants received free Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) tests, Pap smears, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing, which typically cost between P2,000 and P10,000.
Other services included mental health consultations and family planning support, such as oral contraceptive pills, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), and contraceptive implants.
The DOH aims to extend these services to at least 320,000 women aged 30 to 65 in the CALABARZON region.
“A community can only be strong if its women are strong. The Philippines is a matriarchal society. We have to take care of women,” Herbosa concluded.
