News

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday June 13, 2013 - The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) has launched a regional petition aimed at getting Caribbean governments to increase women’s access to affordable cervical cancer screening.

The HCC said nearly 100 per cent of all cervical cancer cases can be prevented if people accessed screening and the electronic petition is aimed at getting the Caribbean population to pressure regional governments into action.

HCC president Professor Trevor Hassell said the petition is not an adversarial initiative.

“It is one in which we are providing a voice to the community to say this is a priority. Though you (the governments) are (acting), we would like you to do more.” 

HCC is hoping to acquire at least five million signatures and is optimistic that the level of response will stir a certain level of action reflective of the signatures accumulated.

“Civil society has tools in its toolbox – advocacy,” said Hassell, noting that while there is a close relationship between civil society, the private sector and the government in tackling the epidemic of non-communicable diseases, these three components of society have to play their individual parts to slow this epidemic as well