(Paynesville, Liberia, August 18, 2025) –The Ministry of Health (MOH), through the Montserrado County Health Team, has completed a three-day intensive training for Sixty-Two (62) health service providers ahead of its national cervical cancer screening initiative.
The training was held at the Liberian Learning Center in Paynesville. It started from August 12—15, 2025, and brought together Doctors, midwives, nurses, and reproductive health supervisors from forty-six (46) government-run health facilities, including the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, James David Jr. Memorial Hospital, Redemption Hospital, Bensonville Hospital, New Georgia Clinic, Chocolate City Health Center, Johnsonville Clinic, and Pipeline Health Center. Other participating facilities were the White Plains Clinic, Kingsville Clinic, Careysburg Clinic, Soniwein Health Center, and Harrisburg Clinic, among several others.
Speaking during the training sessions, Dr. Jewel T. Kollie, Montserrado County Health Officer (CHO), emphasized that with the right skills, service providers will be better positioned to save lives and protect the future of women. She encouraged participants to make meaningful use of the training, remain focused, and fully engage in order to gain the maximum knowledge needed for smooth implementation of the upcoming screening initiative. “This is a critical step towards early detection and prevention. With the right skills, we can save lives and protect the future of our women. I encourage you all to pay attention, ask all the necessary questions to ensure clarity, as we want to make sure that no woman dies from a condition that is preventable,” Dr. Kollie stated.
However, the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of midwives and other antenatal service providers, with a specific focus on cervical cancer screening procedures, treatment options, causes, etiology, early signs and symptoms, patient counseling, prevention strategies (including community engagement and education), and brief simulation exercises on VIA and thermal ablation, among others.
Key activities that featured the training included pre/post knowledge tests, participants demonstration of the Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) and demonstration of the use of the procoagulant, an instrument used to treat precancerous conditions, followed by practical sessions held at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, and Redemption Hospitals, Bensonville Hospital and James David Jr. Memorial Hospital, to ensure participants are fully equipped to deliver quality screening services.
The training exercise is part of the Ministry’s continued commitment to strengthening preventive healthcare and reducing the impact of cervical cancer on women across Liberia. The upcoming cervical cancer elimination program aims to reduce cases, prevent related deaths, and help Liberia achieve the 90-70-90 goal by 2030, in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) target for improving women’s well-being worldwide.