I-TECH supported the Ministry of Health and Social Services in 2017 and 2018 in the development and dissemination of the national Cervical Cancer Prevention Guidelines including algorithms for screening, referral, and post cryotherapy instrument disinfection, and monitoring and evaluation tools. Additionally, I-TECH supported development of the healthcare worker training for cervical cancer screening and treatment through visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy by providing technical assistance to Namibia’s Technical Working Group and National Health Training Center. To date, over 80 nurses and physicians have been trained across five regions, and 20 established sites. I-TECH also provided technical assistance in the development of a quality assurance system including certification, mentorship, and supportive supervision procedures and tools. Through these quality assurance efforts, ten nurses have been certified to perform VIA screening and cryotherapy treatment. A plan is in place to implement real-time imaging technologies using cervicograms to facilitate quality assurance.
Starting in October 2018, I-TECH supports direct service delivery of the provision of cervical cancer screening for HIV-positive women in the Khomas region of Namibia through the provision of key staff. During the first six months of service delivery (October 2018-March 2019) at five pilot sites in Khomas, 536 HIV-positive women were screened for cervical cancer with 65 receiving treatment for precancerous lesions.