Examining the availability and readiness of health facilities to provide cervical cancer screening services in Nepal: a cross-sectional study using data from the Nepal Health Facility Survey.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the availability and readiness of health facilities to provide cervical cancer screening services in Nepal. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: We used secondary data from a nationally representative 2021 Nepal Health Facility Survey, specifically focusing on the facilities offering cervical cancer screening services. OUTCOME MEASURES: We defined the readiness of health facilities to provide cervical cancer screening services using the standard WHO service availability and readiness assessment manual. RESULTS: The overall readiness score was 59.1% (95% CI 55.4% to 62.8%), with more equipment and diagnostic tests available than staff and guidelines. Public hospitals (67.4%, 95% CI 63.0% to 71.7%) had the highest readiness levels. Compared with urban areas, health facilities in rural areas had lower readiness. The Sudurpashchim, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces had higher readiness levels (69.1%, 95% CI 57.7% to 80.5%; 60.1%, 95% CI 53.4% to 66.8%; and 62.5%, 95% CI 56.5% to 68.5%, respectively). Around 17% of facilities had trained providers and specific guidelines to follow while providing cervical cancer screening services. The basic healthcare centres (BHCCs) had lower readiness than private hospitals. Facility types, province and staff management meetings had heterogeneous associations with three conditional quantile scores. CONCLUSION: The availability of cervical cancer screening services is limited in Nepal, necessitating urgent action to expand coverage. Our findings suggest that efforts should focus on improving the readiness of existing facilities by providing training to healthcare workers and increasing access to guidelines. BHCCs and healthcare facilities in rural areas and Karnali province should be given priority to enhance their readiness.