Sister Mamofolo Khamokha Joined Egpaf Lesotho in 2019 as a sexual and reproductive health (SRH) nurse in Maseru district.
Her role, among others, is to provide health education on the benefits of cervical cancer screening and to provide screening, treatment and referral services for women who are eligible.
Cervical cancer is caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). Not all types of HPV cause cervical cancer. HPV is transmitted through sexual contact and one can have HPV for years and not have any symptoms. The virus can stay in the cervix, slowly changing the structure of the cell to form precancerous lesions. Regular screening is recommended for early detection of the precancerous lesions and treatment for prevention of cervical cancer.
As part of orientation to the new role, Sister Mamofolo received theory and practical training before being posted to their work station. As she conducted her duties of screening, she realized the extent of the disease and that it affects women of all ages.
She decided to screen for HPV and the results were positive, and she was referred to a triage test of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). After the triage test her results came out positive for pre-cancer with low grade damage, Sister Mamofolo explained.
"I was treated with thermocoagulation by my EGPAF colleague who is a nurse at Senkatana and have routinely screened negative in my follow up visits since then," Mamofolo disclosed with a relief.
Additionally, Sister Mamofolo works as an outreach nurse and provides health education to communities wherever they have outreaches. She also provides screening services to the community: HPV vaccination among 9-14 years during school campaigns run by the Ministry of Health and supportive supervision and mentorship at facilities to intensify the cervical cancer prevention program.
"Before EGPAF extended cervical cancer prevention program to all facilities, every woman detected with an abnormal lesion was referred to Senkatana in Maseru. However, subsequent to the expansion of thermocoagulators and training to other facilities, all minor treatments are done at the facility level," she explained.
"Cervical cancer is real. I have seen many young and older women diagnosed with advanced cancer. I therefore take this opportunity to encourage women to take screening very seriously in order to save their lives. I encourage fellow nurses to go for screening and also to screen their patients," she said.
