Fall in attendance
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse MSP Christina Mckelvie says she is concerned by figures showing the number of women attending cervical screening appointments is at a 10-year low in Scotland.
The politician spoke out during Cervical Screening Awareness Week (June 12 to 18), encouraging women to book their appointments when invited.
She said:“cervical screening saves around 5000 lives in the UK each year, yet many women don’t understand the importance of attending screening regularly.
“I want to encourage women to talk to their friends, mothers and daughters about the steps they can take to reduce their risk of cervical cancer.
“It’s such an important five-minute test that really could save your life.”
She added:“we’re seeing one in three young women (aged 25-29) not attending for a smear test in the last five years.
“Older women aged 55 to 59 are also dropping back in their attendance.
“These figures are worrying. If more women were screened, loss of life due to cervical cancer would be significantly lower with an estimated 27 percent reduction.”