TNAG-1724-FCO40-2437-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 202

Cervical smear

Question No. 5

screening test

REPLY BY THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH & WELFARE

TO A QUESTION BY DR. HENRIETTA IP IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 1988-

DR. IP asked:

Question: Will Government consider introducing routine

cervical smear screening test (popularly termed Pap smear) for all women aged 30 and above in the early detection of cervical carcinoma which killed 150 women last year?

SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE:

Sir

l.c.

Smear screening for cervical cancer is carried out at

the family planning clinics of the Government Family Health

Services and the Hong Kong Family Planning Association.

It also takes place in social hygiene clinics, gynaecological

and ante-natal clinics in government, subvented and private

hospitals. The Pap smear test is now widely available as a

routine check or when medically required.

From 1980 to 1983, a three-year pilot study on

routine screening organized by the Department of Obstetrics and

Gynaecology, and the Department of Pathology of the University

of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society and the Medical and

Health Department was conducted at the government's maternal

and child health centres. A total of 18,013 smears were

examined, of which 130 were found to be abnormal. The total

number of cervical cancers detected was 23 and the pick up rate 1000 was therefore only 1.27 per thousand. This was considered to

be too low to justify a screening programme for all women.

Targetted screening of women with increased risk of contracting

cervical cancer is therefore preferred.

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