SJMC goes teal in recognition of Cervical Cancer Awareness month

Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) launches a month-long awareness campaign, “Together, Let’s Eliminate Cervical Cancer #SJMCHPV”, in recognition of Cervical Cancer Awareness month which is observed in January and represented by a teal coloured ribbon.

The campaign aims to boost efforts to educate Malaysian women on the importance of early detection, treatment and prevention through vaccination.

SJMC chief executive officer Trish Hogan said they aim to keep creating public awareness on cervical cancer, risk factors and critical role played by HPV vaccine which could eventually eliminate the disease.

“While this will not happen overnight, initiatives like this campaign can lead to more women becoming aware of the virus which can lie dormant for years. By empowering women with information, they can choose to get vaccinated or screened in order to protect themselves against the disease,” she said.

In Malaysia, cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among females and studies have shown that one out of every 144 women between the ages of 30 to 75 is at risk of getting cervical cancer. While cervical cancer is often treatable when detected early, some may fall prey to the disease due to lack of awareness or delayed action.

Lending her support to a cause close to her heart is Malaysian TV personality and digital content creator Daphne Iking, a mother of four who firmly believes in the power of knowledge when it comes to preventing cervical cancer.

Iking is vaccinating her daughters with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine from a young age as protection against the disease. 

“I believe that spreading the word on the disease to help women of all ages protect themselves can have far-reaching impact in curbing cervical cancer in Malaysia. Many may avoid speaking about this disease due to the stigma associated to it, so I am beyond thrilled to be able to work with SJMC on this campaign and hope to make a difference in saving a life,” she said.

As part of its campaign, SJMC is partnering with aspiring local female artist Malar Sinnadurai, founder of The Children’s Art Studio, to design exclusive t-shirts featuring a symbolic teal ribbon to represent cervical cancer and a ‘We can fight this’ tagline.

The specially designed t-shirts are available for purchase. With every purchase, SJMC will donate RM10 to Rumah Ozanam, a welfare home for underprivileged children.

The hospital is also running a social media contest for three weeks from Jan 1. For every “Like” and “Tag” of #SJMCHPV, the public will be in the running to win one complimentary package of HPV vaccination and other merchandise.

In addition, there will be other giveaways during the campaign, including complimentary manicure vouchers, custom-made limited edition hand-crafted teal ribbon earrings and white and teal merchant tote bags.

More details on the ‘Together, Let’s Eliminate Cervical Cancer #SJMCHPV campaign and on the disease and symptoms as well as screening and vaccination are available on Subang Jaya Medical Centre website subangjayamedicalcentre.com and Facebook page.