Following our donation to the Royal Womens Hospital, a lucky group of Rotarians visited the hospital recently for a very informative tour. The tour included the Neonatal Intensive Care ward, where very tiny babies are monitored closely, and the Women’s Health Centre.
The Nurse Unit Manger of this centre outlined some of the challenges they face with the broad range of cultural backgrounds of their patients. The third part of the tour was to the Research Centre where there was the opportunity to speak with Professor Suzanne Garland, who was most inspiring. Professor Garland worked for many years on the development of the vaccine for human papilloma virus, which is crucial in the prevention of cancer of the cervix.
In the time since the vaccine was introduced in Australia, the incidence of cervix cancer has decreased dramatically, providing clear evidence for the efficacy of the vaccine. Professor Garland is now working with the WHO to promote the HPV vaccine across the globe. She highlighted that cervix cancer is very prevalent in many nations and is a horrible way to die.
