The Ministry of Health and Mass Media will add 18 new colposcopy machines worth Rs. 114 million to the state hospital system this year to strengthen cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment services across Sri Lanka.

With the latest expansion, the number of colposcopy machines in government hospitals will increase from 15 to 33, significantly improving access to screening and treatment facilities nationwide.Twelve machines have already been installed at major hospitals in Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kurunegala, De Soysa Hospital for Women, Kandy, Gampaha, Matara, Monaragala, Puttalam and Hambantota. The remaining six machines are scheduled to be installed in June at teaching and district general hospitals in Ampara, Ragama, Kalutara, Kuliyapitiya, Matale and Vavuniya.

Each machine costs around Rs. 6 million. The Ministry has spent more than Rs. 72 million on the first 12 machines and allocated over Rs. 42 million for the remaining six.Five outdated machines in the state hospital system have also been replaced with new equipment as part of the initiative.According to the Ministry, the program aims to improve early detection and treatment of cervical cancer, which is the fifth most common cancer among women in Sri Lanka.Colposcopy is a medical procedure used to closely examine the cervix and vagina for abnormalities. The machines are used by obstetricians, gynaecologists and gynaecological cancer surgeons to identify early signs of cervical cancer and other abnormalities.The National Cancer Control Programme states that cervical cancer is preventable if detected at the pre-cancer stage. The disease is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

Sri Lanka records around 1,200 new cervical cancer cases annually, while nearly 180 women die each year due to lack of proper treatment, according to the Programme.