Hong Kong continues to fall behind cervical cancer screening targets set by World Health Organization, NGO warns
- Family Planning Association of Hong Kong says number of tests carried out at its centres dropped over past five years
- Cervical cancer was the seventh most common cancer among women in Hong Kong in 2020, government data shows
Hong Kong has continued to fall behind the cervical cancer screening targets of the World Health Organization, a local NGO has warned, as it urges women to get regular check-ups.
The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong on Tuesday said the number of Pap tests performed at its centres had dropped over the past five years, from about 36,184 in 2018 to 31,954 in 2022.
“In Hong Kong, women’s participation in cervical screening is unsatisfactory,” said Dr Grace Wong Ching-yin, a senior doctor at the association.
Women between the ages of 25 and 64 who have ever had sex are advised to get regular cervical screenings. But according to the Department of Health’s most recent Population Health Survey in 2020-2022, only 52.1 per cent had ever been tested.
The World Health Organization recommends that jurisdictions aim for a testing rate of 70 per cent among women.
The incidence rate target for the disease set by the WHO is four per 100,000 women. According to the latest data from the Centre for Health Protection, Hong Kong’s incidence rate was 8.5 per 100,000 in 2020.
