Cervical Cancer is a public health problem and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among women. In 2012 there was an estimated 528,000 new cases and 266000 deaths attribute to cervical cancer. Majority (85% of cervical cancer occurred in developing countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Tanzania being within the high risk region has an age standardized risk of developing cervical cancer of 54.4 per 100,000 person years compared with 5.5 and 4.4 per 100,000 person’s years for Australia- New Zealand and western Asia respectively.(1)

The high rates of cervical cancer can mainly be attributed to high prevalence of HPV infection and limited screening services. Mortality due to cervical cancer varies from 27.6 per 100000 in East Africa to less than 2 per 100000 person years in Western Asia, Australia- New Zealand and Europe. (2) Apart from morbidity and mortality, cervical cancer and its treatment has significant social and economic consequences to cancer patient, families and countries at large as it leads to poor quality of life, increased treatment expenses and decreases productivity(3)

Cervical cancer screening enables the detection of abnormal cervical cells, including precancerous cervical lesions, as well as early stage cervical cancer. Routine cervical screening has been shown to reduce both the incidence and mortality of the disease. However, over 80% of invasive cervical cancer worldwide occur in developing countries, largely as a result of the challenges in establishing effective screening programs(4). WHO estimates that only about 5% of women have been screened for cervical cancer in resource poor countries, compared to 40-50% in the developed world(4)(5). In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), there have been efforts to improve awareness and the availability of cervical screening services. However, the coverage still remains low and the incidence and mortality rates associated with the disease are high in this region(6)