UAP Old Mutual Old Group has announced a partnership with Gertrude’s Children Hospital in a bid to roll out a joint campaign aimed at increasing the uptake of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to insured members.
The initiative is targeting to reach over 6000 girls under the UAP Old Mutual Health cover. This will ensure at least 90% uptake in line with the Global Strategy for Cervical Cancer elimination. The HPV vaccine which is approved by MOH shall be offered at Gertrudes Childrens Hospital and its 16 branches.
Cervical Cancer is the 2 nd leading cause of new cancer cases and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in Kenya. It is also one of the preventable and treatable types of cancer. Screening and testing are crucial in preventing cancer. In 2019, the Ministry of Health introduced the HPV vaccine and has since run campaigns to encourage its uptake in girls aged 10 and 14 years.
UAP Old Mutual Health Business General Manager Japheth Ogalloh had this to say, “The HPV vaccine has the potential to reduce the incidence of Cervical Cancer by at least 70%. Currently, at least 9 women die every day from Cervical Cancer in Kenya. We are happy to be part of the global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. We are also pleased to partner with Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, a leading children hospital in the region, on this noble initiative. If we achieve significant uptake of the vaccine, we can drastically reduce the incidence of Cervical Cancer.”
Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Robert Nyarango, stated, “We collectively must do everything in our power to prevent cancer. The challenge is less lack of information about prevention of HPV infection, but more lack of action based on this information. We at, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, are very excited to work with UAP Old Mutual to improve the uptake of HPV vaccine. We call upon every parent with a preteen child to partner with us to protect our children against HPV infection and in so doing protect them from several cancers caused by HPV”.”
The two organisations further committed to continue listening to customer feedback as part of their effort to provide solutions that enable them to reach their health goals.