Two-day Study Visit of the UNFPA Delegation

In the framework of the ZORA Programme, a study visit was held at the Oncology Institute Ljubljana on 12 and 13 February, aimed at strengthening capacities for organized cervical cancer screening programmes. The study visit was organized at the initiative of UNFPA, in cooperation with the Oncology Institute Ljubljana, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia, and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.

We hosted 28 experts from 10 countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The first day of the study visit was dedicated to presenting the development and functioning of the ZORA Programme – from the transition from an opportunistic to an organized, population-based screening programme, to its current organization, management, screening registry, and quality assurance system. Participants also visited the Ljubljana Moste–Polje Community Health Centre (Fužine), where they learned about the implementation of screening at the primary care level.

The second day focused on awareness-raising, engagement of local communities, the role of healthcare professionals, and the introduction of HPV testing. Participants also visited the Cytopathology Laboratory at the Oncology Institute Ljubljana.

At the opening, participants were addressed by Vesna Marinko, Director-General of the Directorate of Public Health at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia; Ambassador Mateja Vodeb, Head of the Department for Global Challenges at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia; Prof. Janja Ocvirk, MD, PhD, Medical Director of the Oncology Institute Ljubljana; Dr. Teymur Seyidov, Regional Adviser on Sexual and Reproductive Health, UNFPA EECARO; and Silvia Ussai, Coordinator of the UNFPA Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention in the EECA region.