Jhpiego and Thailand Tour of Hope
December 2, 2010 at 10:49 am Leave a comment
Bicyclists receive congratulations for riding in the Fifth Annual Tour of Hope in Thailand.
For the past four years, bicyclists participating in the Thailand Tour of Hope have helped raise money for cervical cancer prevention. Jhpiego has been a beneficiary, receiving $84,000. Proceeds from each year’s race are matched dollar for dollar by GlaxoSmithKline.
To all, we say a big thanks!
This year’s race was held November 5. Jhpiego’s representative at the Tour of Hope, Professor Khunying Kobchitt Limpaphayom, spoke about the organization’s long history in helping prevent cervical cancer in Thailand.
In cooperation with the Thai government and Chulalongkorn University, Jhpiego has introduced a pioneering screening method for cervical cancer prevention that became a model for the country and trained Thai health workers in this approach. The work also includes follow-up and monitoring to ensure competency in performing the screenings.
“At present we have trained about 1,100 nurse providers around the country in 24 provinces,” Professor Limpaphayom told the crowd. “Thousands of women benefit from this cervical cancer prevention work. Proceeds from the Tour of Hope provide a valuable source of funds. These gifts to Jhpiego are truly gifts to women and their families around the world.”
Prof. Kobbie Limpaphayom, Jhpiego's representative, with His Exellency Jurin Laksanawisit, of the Thai Ministry of Public Health.
Dr. Ricky Lu, Jhpiego’s Director of Family Planning and Reproductive Health, applauded the efforts of Professor Limpaphayom, who serves as Jhpiego’s “Global Ambassador” in the region, which includes Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia.
“Khunying Kobbie and her passion for preventing cervical cancer in Thailand is an example of the power of one to effect change,” said Dr. Lu. “Right after demonstrating the safety, effectiveness and feasibility of the single visit approach using VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid) and cryotherapy, her effort to translate research into tangible action has resulted in increasing access to the single visit approach (SVA) and reaching half a million women screened.
“Working with a small team of dedicated trainers and partnering with key stakeholders in the health system to support service start-ups made it possible to offer SVA in 24 provinces in a span of less than 10 years.”
The Tour of Hope Team in Thailand.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: .
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed