Building on the success of previous training programs, the Ifakara Health Institute, in collaboration with St. Francis Referral Hospital and University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, host the 7th Ifakara Colposcopy Course from September 5–11, 2025. The week-long training aimed to enhance the skills of healthcare professionals in cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Held this year in Kilosa, Morogoro Region, the intensive course combined lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on clinical practice. Participants learned from both international and local experts, including Dr. Andre Kind, Deputy Chief Physician of Gynecology, Dr. Andreas Martin Kaufmann, a biologist specializing in HPV screening from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and Dorcas Mnzava from Ifakara. Other leading specialists included Dr. Brigitte Frey, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Switzerland, and Dr. Sr. Nathalia Makunja, obstetrician and gynecologist at St. Francis Referral Hospital.

The training sessions introduced participants to the fundamentals of colposcopy and key screening strategies, including Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), cytology, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing, along with proper documentation practices. Hands-on learning was central to the program, with participants performing biopsies, cryotherapy, thermal ablation, and loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEP) under expert supervision at clinical sites.

In addition, the program built participants’ capacity to provide pre- and post-screening counseling, conduct cervical cancer screening, and deliver treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HPV-related cervical precancer. To reinforce these skills, participants engaged in community-based free service delivery through Kilosa Hospital and outreach initiatives in surrounding areas, including Magomeni, Rudewa, and Msowelo.

Cervical cancer remains a silent threat, particularly in areas like Kilosa, where many women have limited access to healthcare and low awareness, leading to late diagnoses and high mortality rates. Through such programs, Ifakara and its partners seek to expand screening coverage, improve early detection, and contribute significantly to Tanzania’s fight against one of the country’s leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women.