Women's Health Season Kicks off

On 2 July, Western Cape Government Health kicked off its Women's Health Season, which stretches from July to September 2012.

Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, said: "In terms of the millennium development goals of the World Health Organization, women's health is among the top five health priorities. Focus areas for improving women's health include increasing the cervical cancer screening coverage to 67.3%, increasing the number of women who seek antenatal care before the twentieth week of their pregnancy to almost 60% and reducing the delivery rate of women under the age of 18 years to 6.4%."

During this time, all primary healthcare services focus attention on promoting the health and wellness of women.

Women across the province are encouraged to make use of services designed to protect them against key health risks: screening for the early detection of cervical and breast cancer, contraceptive choices for protection against unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other STIs, free pregnancy testing and comprehensive antenatal care. These services can be accessed at any public health clinic in the province.