St. Paul Institute for Reproductive Health and Rights (SPIRHR) celebrated International Women’s Day 2024 by organizing a policy dialogue titled Increasing HPV Vaccination Uptake through Policy Level Interventions in collaboration with Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Ethiopian Medical Women’s Association, EngenderHealth and ICAP Ethiopia. The goal of the event was to raise awareness on current scientific knowledge on HPV Vaccines, understand the different practices and policies in action both globally and locally and to advocate for the roll out of HPV vaccination to the unreached women and girls in our nation through policy level interventions and ministerial office commitments.
The panelists were Dr Hezkiel Petros, an OBGYN and Public Health Specialist, Cervical Cancer Program Manager at ICAP Ethiopia, Sr Zemzem Mohammed Maternal Desk Lead at the Reproductive Maternal Child Health and Nutrition Directorate at MOH and Dr Bethel Dereje a Gynecologist Oncologist at St Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College. In attendance were members of ESOG, EMeWA, youth advisory council members from EngenderHealth and other guests.
The panelist mentioned there are significant improvements globally in the types of HPV vaccination and vaccinations. Furthermore, they said it is worthwhile to mention the efforts of Ethiopia in making the vaccination available and trying to change the perception of the society positively about the vaccination. They also highlighted that there is need for awareness creation, timely collaboration of stakeholders and devising multiple strategies to bring about a holistic approach of vaccination. In conclusion they stated, local evidence generation and research are key to making context appropriate health policies.
SPIRHR understands that it has a key role in creating awareness about the HPV vaccination to all key stakeholders. In addition, our institution will keep playing its part by participating in evidence generation through quality research papers. In the future, our institution will continue to keep investing in women’s health to create a more healthy, equitable and safer world for all.
Link to the full policy dialogue:
https://fb.watch/qJcEifeb7v/
