Strengthening Partnerships for Cervical Cancer Prevention and Elimination in Indonesia

January is Global Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and this year our nearest Asian neighbour Indonesia is celebrating the launch of its first comprehensive Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy – aligned with WHO goals.

Professor Linda Bennett and long-time collaborator Professor Siswanto Wilopo from Gadjah Mada University have been leading a series of national forums on Cervical Cancer Awareness. These events are sponsored by the Indonesian Cancer Foundation and are engaging a coalition of women’s groups and other community based organizations to spread the word about cervical cancer prevention.

The three key messages shared in these forums include:

• the need for intersectoral collaboration across government, civil society, the private sector and the media to enable implementation of the strategy;
• the need to enhance whole or community awareness that all sexually active women and people with a cervix are at risk of developing the disease;
• and the importance of supporting the health workforce to deliver the services required to achieve strategy goals.

This is an important historical juncture for Indonesia and the beginning of a crucial turning point for national consciousness and community acceptance of cervical cancer prevention as a safe and routine practice.

In addressing the pressing need for attitudinal shifts towards the uptake of cervical cancer screening Prof Siswanto makes the astute observation that Indonesia faced a similar challenge of this scale decades ago when introducing modern contraception into the routine health system, which in the long-term has been a resounding success.

Professor Linda Rae Bennett is a medical anthropologist who focuses on reproductive and sexual health and rights, gender based violence, and gendered health inequities. She is passionately committed to capacity building both in Australia and abroad.