Quality improvement initiatives on colposcopy and treatment of cervical pre-cancer services in Bhutan: Experiences, challenges, and way forward

Abstract

Bhutan has achieved 90–70–90 global targets by 2023, way ahead of the global targets of elimination of cervical cancer by 2030. However, cervical cancer remains the most prevalent cancer, among women in Bhutan. While all healthcare screening, diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancers are provided free of cost, sustainability in terms of financing and human resources and ensuring quality of services are the major challenges. Development of a national standard guideline is a major intervention towards improving the quality of colposcopy services and treatment of precancer in the country. In this article, we discuss the summary of the consensus-based practical guideline on colposcopy and treatment of cervical pre-cancers in Bhutan, challenges faced and potential way forward.