Georgia

Georgia
The events undertaken during the Fashion Week generated an enormous amount
of media coverage and therefore allowed
the cervical cancer prevention messages
to reach a very large audience in Georgia. Georgia is making very good progress
with the implementation of cancer prevention programmes but coverage is still low
and promotional events such as this are
of therefore essential in raising awareness
within the population.
The Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
(CCPW) 2012 in Georgia involved all of the
ECCA’s institutional members: the Georgian Alliance Against Cancer, the Georgian
Cancer Prevention Center, the Georgian
National Screening Programme, the Georgian Society for Cervical Pathology and
Colposcopy, the Georgian Society of Gynaecological Oncology, the Tbilisi Cancer
Center, the Georgian Women’s Center, the
Georgian Federation of Colposcopy and
the Georgian Women Doctors Association.
In addition to the institutional members,
medical students from the Tbilisi State
Medical University (TSMU) and the David
Tvildiani Medical University (DTMU) participated by conducting 3 days of events.
Throughout the CCPW 2012, the ECCA’s
educational materials and the Pearl of Wisdom brooches were distributed, and banners promoting the week were displayed in
the National Screening Centres and clinics
across Tbilisi.
On Monday 23 January, medical students
from TSMU distributed informational materials and Pearl of Wisdom brooches in
20 different high-traffic locations (train
and metro stations, shopping centers, cafes, etc.) around central Tbilisi. While distributing the materials and brooches, the
students reminded women about the importance of regular cervical screening and
that both screening as well as follow-up
are provided free of charge to all women
aged 25-60 living within the Tbilisi municipality. They then provided them with details on how to make an appointment. On
24 January, the TSMU students focused on
the collection of signatures for the STOP
Cervical Cancer Petition and using this as
a means to attract attention to the issue
of cervical cancer prevention. During the
day, the students collected 526 signatures.
Special thanks are due to TSMU students
El’guja Lachkepiani, Tamar Taktakishvili,
Rigina Kolosiani, Veriko Kublashvili, Tamta
Kuchukhidze, Bachana Maziashvili, Kristine Shonia and Salome Barbakadze.
Before the CCPW, the ECCA worked with
Ms Maka Metreveli and the other organisers
of the Georgian Fashion Week and Mr Zura
Mgaloblishvili to promote cervical cancer
prevention and the Pearl of Wisdom during
the Georgian Fashion Week. This project
was also supported by Sandra Elizabeth
Roelofs, Chair of the Georgian National Reproductive Health Council and Chair of the
Steering Committee of the Black Sea Countries Coalition on Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention. As a result, cervical cancer prevention messages were included in
many of the Fashion Week events including:
• The production of a glossy magazine
featuring the pictures and messages of
support from famous Georgian women.
These magazines were distributed during at the fashion week events and to
women on the streets of Tbilisi.
• The design of ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ TShirts by 4 Georgian fashion designers,
Avtandil Tskvitinidze, Keti Chkhikvadze,
Anuka Keburia and Tamuna Ingorokhva,
that were featured during the fashion
week and sold on the Pearl of Wisdom
website.
• The distribution of Pearl of Wisdom
brooches on a special-issue Georgian
Fashion Week backing card to the attendees at the opening night gala and
at other Fashion Week events during
the week.
On 25 January, the TSMU students and the
ECCA’s institutional members organised
the STOP Cervical Cancer Congress in the
conference hall of the university. The congress targeted both medical students and
health care practitioners from the region
with the agenda designed to raise aware1
ness of modern cancer screening practices. The congress speakers included:
• Dr Giorgi Kamkamidze – Associate
Professor of the Faculty of Virology at
the TSMU
• Dr Nino Museridze – Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Pathological
Anatomy at the TSMU and Head of the
Department of Histology and Pap Diagnostics.
• Dr Tamar Alibegashvili – Clinical Colposcopy Lead for the Georgian National Cervical Screening Center (NSC)
and President of the Georgian Society
of Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy
GSCPC.
• Prof Rema Gvamichava – Professor of
the Faculty of Oncology at the TSMU
and Director of the NSC
On 26 January, a clinical educational seminar
On 27 and 28 January, the Georgian Federation of Colposcopy (GFC), the Tatishvili Medical Center and the Ministry of Labour, Health
and Social Affairs of Abkhazia held an open
screening and colposcopy clinic, with a special
emphasis on encouraging women from the Abkhazian IDP community to attend. In addition to
the open clinic, an educational seminar on cervical cancer prevention the general public was
held in the IDP hotel Kvari and it was broadcast
on four major TV channels in Georgia (Public
Broadcasting http://junior.eurovision-georgia.
ge/noire/news-view/34211/en, Rustavi 2, Imedi
and Georgian Patriarchy).
(Left to right: Dr Nino Museridze, Dr Tamar Alibegashvili, Prof Rema Gvamichava, Dr Giorgi Kamkamidze and medical student Elguja Lachkebiani)
Dr Teona Salukvadze presenting at the clinical
workshop
was organized by students at the David Tvildiani
Medical University, the MediClubGeorgia Clinic
and the ECCA. Held at the MediClubGeorgia
Clinic in Tbilisi, the seminar covered all aspects
of cervical cancer prevention from screening
through to the treatment of pre-invasion cervical disease. This event was supported by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Georgia, the Alliance against Cancer and The Black
Sea Countries Coalition on Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention. Special thanks are due
to DTMU students Aleksandra Nadiradze and
Lana Bokuchavathe.
was held on 28 January and it attracted 150 gynaecologists from across Georgia (Tbilisi, Gori,
Kutaisi, Batumi and Rustavi). The speakers at
the seminar included:
• Dr Tamar Alibegashvili – Clinical Colposcopy Lead for the Georgian National Cervical
Screening Center (NSC) and President of
the Georgian Society of Cervical Pathology
and Colposcopy GSCPC.
• Dr. Miranda Gudadze – Head of Cytology
for the NSC
• Dr Tamuna Gogoladze – Colposcopist,
NSC
• Dr Ketevan Manjgaladze – Colposcopist,
NSC
• Dr Mikheil Jangavadze – Pathologist, Georgian Institute of Morphology
On 28 January, a seminar entitled “The Role
of Colposcopy in Cervical Cancer Prevention”
was organized by the GSCPC, the NSC, the
Georgian Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology (SAOG) and the TSMU. The meeting
2
The seminar was designed to provide the delegates with a good understanding of cervical
cancer, the cervical cancer screening process
and the central role of colposcopy within the
screening process. The topics covered included:
• Epidemiology of cervical cancer
• Cytology based cervical cancer screening
• Normal Colposcopic characteristics of the
cervix
• Atypical Colposcopic characteristics of
the cervix
• Colposcopic characteristics of the cervix
during pregnancy
• Management of atypical Pap test and CIN
• Histopathological examination during cervical cancer screening
• Treatment of cervical dysplasia
• Case presentations
On 4 February, Tbilisi students organised a
march from the Youth Palace to Freedom
Square in honour of World Cancer Day and
the march was supported by the NSC, the
UNFPA, the Survival Women’s Club, the Black
Sea Countries Coalition on Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention, the Georgian National
Center of Disease Control and Public Health
(NCDC), and University of Washington/Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance.
All of these activities generated a significant
amount of media coverage with TV, radio interviews, and articles in major newspapers
and on major websites including:
• 23 to 29 January, 2012 – Radio Fortuna
•
•
•
•
broadcast public service advertisements
about the CCPW 2012 and the Georgian
national cervical cancer screening program
every hour throughout the week
26 January, 2012 – Radio Fortuna broadcast
an interview with gynaecologists from the
Georgian National Screening Center about
the CCPW 2012 and about cervical cancer
prevention in Georgia
27 January, 2012 – The TSMU Newspaper
published a feature article about the CCPW
2012
27 January, 2012 – The TSMU Newspaper
published a article about cervical cancer and
its prevention
27 January 2012 – The free cervical cancer
screening clinic for IDPs was featured in
articles broadcast on 4 major TV channels:
3
Delegates at the ‘Role of Colposcopy in Cervical
Cancer Prevention’ Workshop
In order to support the delivery of information to
women in the general public, informational materials and the Pearl of Wisdom brooches were distributed during the CCPW 2012 through the shops of
the “Voulez-vous” perfumery network.
Public Broadcasting, Rustavi 2, Imedi and
Georgian Patriarchy.
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&chan=imedi
&seekTime=04-02-2012+20%3A34
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&chan=rus
tavi2&seekTime=04-02-2012+21%3A39&fb_
source=message
http://www.myvideo.
ge/?act=dvr&chan=realtv&seekTime=04-022012+19%3A16&fb_source=message
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&ch
an=ertsulovneba&seekTime=04-022012+22%3A12
• 28 January 2012 – The educational seminar about cervical cancer prevention for
IDPs was featured in articles broadcast
on 4 major TV channels: Public Broadcasting, Rustavi 2, Imedi and Georgian
Patriarchy.
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&chan=i
medi&seekTime=04-02-2012+20%3A34
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&
chan=rustavi2&seekTime=04-022012+21%3A39&fb_source=message
http://www.myvideo.
ge/?act=dvr&chan=realtv&seekTime=0402-2012+19%3A16&fb_source=message
http://www.myvideo.ge/?act=dvr&ch
an=ertsulovneba&seekTime=04-022012+22%3A12
• January 2012 – Pearl of Wisdom fashion event was covered on television and
radio and in various print media including
magazines (Episode), newspapers and
the internet. In addition, 1,500 special
edition glossy magazines featuring Georgian celebrities were distributed
• Numerous stories were published on the
internet and on social media sites
Celebrity Georgian Woman Supporters
Nani Bregvadze
Liza Bagrationi
Rusudan Petviashvili
Nina Ananiashvili
Nata Murvanidze
Irina Onashvili
Avtandil Tskvitinidze
Tamuna Ingorokva
Keti Chkhikvadze
4
Celebrity Georgian Woman Supporters
Keti Chkhikvadze
Nino Sukhishvili
Lela Tsurtsumia
Nino Salukvadze
Maka Metreveli
Nino Darasveli
Eka Khoperia
Tako Phkhakadze
Anuka Keburia
5
The design of ‘Pearl of Wisdom’ T-Shirts by 4 Georgian fashion designers,
Avtandil Tskvitinidze, Keti Chkhikvadze, Anuka Keburia and Tamuna Ingorokhva
The Fashion Week magazine featuring
the pictures and messages of support
from famous Georgian women
6
TSMU medical students distributing informational materials
and Pearl of Wisdom brooches
7
TSMU medical students distributing informational materials
and Pearl of Wisdom brooches
The youngest
supporter
8
Media Coverage in Georgia
9
Media Coverage in Georgia
10