Every preventive gynecological examination of women is a step towards early detection of cervical cancer and greater chances of cure if the disease has occurred, said the Minister of Health, Vojislav Šimun, on the occasion of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.
He added that increasing women's response to screening programs remains one of the priorities of the Ministry of Health.
"We will work to improve awareness of the importance of prevention, because cervical cancer is a disease that, through the implementation of preventive measures, can be successfully eliminated to a level where it will no longer represent a public health problem," said Šimun, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
A significant reduction in morbidity and mortality is achieved, as Šimun said, through the massive use of available preventive measures in all health centers - the National Program for Early Detection of Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccination Program.
The Ministry of Health said that in Montenegro, 23.838 women have been tested for HPV at least once in the last three years, of which 3.457 or 14,51 percent of cases had a positive result.
"The high mortality rate is also associated with low response of women to preventive gynecological examinations and screening programs, which leads to late detection of the disease and reduces the chances of successful treatment. In order to reduce morbidity and mortality, Montenegro has been implementing cervical cancer prevention screening programs and HPV vaccination for years," said Šimun.
The Ministry of Health's statement states that, according to GLOBOCANA data from 2022, Montenegro has higher rates of both incidence (12/100,000 women) and mortality (6,3/100,000 women) compared to the European average.
The government department said that the most common age for contracting and dying from cervical cancer is between 30 and 65 years of age, when participation in the organized screening program implemented in Montenegro is planned, in all health centers.
"These data indicate that people in Montenegro are significantly more likely to get sick and die from this highly preventable disease compared to the European average," said Šimun.
The Ministry of Health said that according to data from the Institute of Oncology of the Clinical Center of Montenegro, during 2024, 98 women with newly diagnosed cervical cancer were presented to the council, adding that during 2023, in 61 percent of cases, the disease was detected at a stage when surgery was not possible.
"This indicates that in most cases the disease is diagnosed when it is advanced, when treatment becomes difficult and uncertain, which reduces the chances of a cure," explained Šimun.
He said that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, if received on time, can prevent nine out of ten cases of cervical cancer, anal cancer, and genital warts.
The Ministry of Health said that HPV vaccination for girls in Montenegro began in September 2022, while, as they added, it has also been available to boys since February 2024.
"The primary target group for vaccination is girls and boys aged 9 to 14, when the vaccine is most effective, and it is also available for the age groups 15 to 18, as well as 19 to 26. According to data from the Health Insurance Fund, by the end of November 2025, more than 320 thousand insured women were registered in Montenegro. However, the fact that only 56 percent of them had a chosen gynecologist is worrying," the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Šimun said that these numbers are not just statistics.
"They clearly tell us that some women in Montenegro do not undergo regular gynecological examinations, that a large number of women have not responded to preventive screening examinations - which can have serious consequences for health, but also for the quality of life of families and the community as a whole. I urge all citizens to inform themselves about the available cervical cancer prevention measures with their chosen gynecologist," said Šimun.
The Ministry of Health said that they are aware of the complexity of the problems and needs of society, and have developed a Program for the Prevention and Control of Malignant Diseases for the period 2026-2028, which the Government adopted at the end of December 2025.
"Women's health is not just a personal issue, but a matter of social responsibility. Cervical cancer is a disease that we know how to prevent, how to detect in time and how to treat – but only if we act together. Every check-up, every vaccine and every informed decision saves lives. The Ministry of Health remains firmly committed to creating a system in which prevention is not the exception, but the rule, because healthy women mean healthy families, and healthy families make a strong and responsible society," said Šimun.
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