World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) launched new training programmes, specially aiming to close the serious worldwide gap in cervical precancer care. These courses, were prepared with help of experts around the world, which are now free on the WHO Academy platform.
Because of Cervical cancer hundreds of thousands of women died every year, and this graph hits the low-resource countries the most. Mostly so many places don’t have sufficient trained healthcare workers and professionals, and also only some are reliable, high-quality practical training for HPV testing, visual exams, and early treatment. This programme challenges those precise difficulties and supports WHO for its huge 2030 goal: get more girls vaccinated and remove cervical cancer, by increasing detection rates, and making sure every woman who needs treatment gets it on time.
How does it work?
The training comes in five units and covers a comprehensive team trained by experts, like nurses, midwives, doctors, programme managers, community health workers, and students in medical and nursing fields. Here’s what it includes:
– Learn at your own speed e-learning module to cover the basic skills
– Instructor guides for skill-based, in-person training
– Practical workshops run by partner institutions to build real-world experiential skills
By mixing these elements, the programme makes sure people don’t just learn the theory — they actually get comfortable putting it into practice.
The curriculum zeroes in on three big areas:
1. HPV Testing and Management
How to collect good samples, understand the results, and follow up with women whose test came positive.
2. Visual Examination with Acetic Acid (VIA)
Training on doing VIA, spotting early changes, and giving same-day care when possible.
3. Colposcopy and Treatment
Building skills for colposcopic exams and treating precancerous lesions using methods like thermal ablation or excision.
The programme also uses IARC’s open-access resources — like the Atlas of Colposcopy and the Atlas of Visual Inspection of the Cervix — which lots of healthcare professionals already rely on around the world.
By combining digital learning with in-person, practical experience, WHO and IARC want to swiftly grow the quantity of healthcare workers ready to deliver best cervical precancer care. This should help countries to increase their screening rates, manage irregularities quicker, and take real steps toward wiping out cervical cancer as a public health danger.