Transcript
DAVE PEDDIE: They started screening in 1999 but for the first few years they were doing what is called a Pap smear test and that was supported by a Queensland health laboratory on the Gold Coast and also some of the smear tests were sent down to Victoria for reporting. But they weren't dealing with the abnormalities that were picked up in the screening test and in 2008 an Australian gynaecologist who had some experience both in South East Asia and also through the Pacific, called Richard Skinner, he was asked by the Ministry of Health if he could go to Kiribati and get them started for investigating the abnormal results. It is all very well to do a smear test but if you don't do something about the abnormal results then you are not making any progress. So he started some training in what we call Colposcopy which is to closely examine the cervix if the smear test is abnormal and make a decision about whether or not to do some treatment to get rid of the abnormality which would in turn prevent invasive cancer. He made two trips in 2008 and 2009 and then he retired and I just happened to meet him and he happened to ask me would I be interested so I have been going since 2010 and try to go every six months. Mainly working with the doctors up there, teaching them how to do the examination of the cervix and how to manage the abnormalities.
KOROI HAWKINS: Now in terms of training, is that the ultimate end game, in terms of getting them to do it themselves?
DP: Absolutely. Yes. It is no good them being reliant on people like me going every six months. I go from New Zealand. There's one or two Australian doctors who go from Australia. There's a team that comes down from Taiwan on an occasional basis. They need to be independent and they need to be trained to do it themselves.
KH: And are there people there that can be trained? Are there people in training?
DP: Yes, yes there are people in training and we are working on it.
KH: Great. And how soon do you think, or basically when do you think you will be out of a job going back to Kiribati?
DP: I can't say, I think in terms of how well they are doing, I think they are about half way there. Each time you go you see a bit more progress and we're getting there but I don't know how long they will be wanting some support for. It could be a wee while yet.
KH: What do you think Kiribati needs to go the rest of the 50 percent of the way to be where they need to be in terms treating cervical cancer and screening for cervical cancer?
DP: There's three things. They need equipment. So they need medical/technical equipment, so they need the training to use it. They need, a screening programme needs co-ordination. If you think of New Zealand, we have had cervical screening here for 70 years and now we have got a good screening programme, but it's taken 70 years to develop a good screening programme so trying to fast track it in a place like Kiribati to the same standard is quite a demanding task.
