UNSW Sydney has received the largest single philanthropic donation in its history to work with regional partners to tackle one of the deadliest preventable cancers in the Pacific.
The $25.9 million donation from the Swire Group headed by heir Merlin Bingham Swire, great-great-great-grandson of Swire group founder John Swire will enable UNSW’s Kirby Institute to work with partners in Australia and our region to support vital cervical screening and treatment services for over 130,000 women in seven countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Rates of cervical cancer in the Pacific are among the highest in the world, according to the World Health Organization, with Pacific women up to 14 times more likely to die from cervical cancer than women in Australia.
“Cervical cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related death among women in the Pacific and is devastating to women, families, and entire communities across our region. This generous investment will enable countries like Samoa to partner with the Kirby Institute to advance our vision of a world free of cervical cancer,” said the Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister of Samoa.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a common virus spread through sexual contact. Most women with HPV infection or early cervical disease do not experience symptoms, so early detection through screening is crucial.
“This landmark investment will enable us to work with countries across the Pacific over the next five years to advance our collective vision of a world free of cervical cancer and ultimately save thousands of lives across our region,” says Professor Andrew Vallely, who is co-leading the work at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney with Project Manager Vanessa Price.
“We are delighted to support the Kirby Institute, who have an excellent reputation in the region for highly impactful research conducted in partnership with local leaders, communities, and organizations,” said Sam Swire, Executive Director.
“Through Swire Shipping we have been serving the Pacific Island nations for over 70 years. Tragically, in the Pacific, women are dying from a disease that is preventable, and this program targets its elimination,” he said.
UNSW’s Kirby Institute has worked with partners in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia since 2010 to co- design and evaluate strategies for cervical screening in PNG and other countries in the region.
This new grant will build on the successes of the earlier Eliminating Cervical Cancer in the Western Pacific (ECCWP) program funded by the Australian Minderoo Foundation and complement the Elimination Partnership in the Indo-Pacific for Cervical Cancer (EPICC) program funded by the Australian Government, and recently expanded as part of the Quad Cancer Moonshot Initiative in September 2024. Collectively, these initiatives will support countries on their journey to implement sustainable cervical cancer elimination strategies.
The Vice-Chancellor and President of UNSW Sydney, Professor Attila Brungs, said that today’s announcement is a triumph of effective collaboration to address an issue with major societal impact. “Through the generosity of the Swire Group, the commitment of Pacific country health departments, the tireless work of communities and services on the ground, and the expertise and support of UNSW’s Kirby Institute, we are moving towards a future where cervical cancer is no longer a threat to women.”
In-country leadership will be supported by UNSW’s Kirby Institute with key Australian and regional partners the University of Sydney, Australian Centre for Prevention of Cervical Cancer (ACPCC), Family Planning Australia, and the Pacific Community (SPC).
Despite huge efforts over many years, barriers have prevented Pacific countries from establishing and sustaining population-based cervical screening and vaccination programs. Challenges include the diverse geography of these nations, which are among the most remote and isolated in the world. This project will utilize advancements in cervical screening so that women who present to clinics can self-collect their own specimens, with results available in an hour.
“This approach is a game changer for the Pacific. Previous approaches involved invasive pelvic examinations and results could take weeks. Now with this donation from the Swire Group we can work with partner countries to sustainably build this highly effective screening strategy into health policy and services, enabling access to cervical screening and treatment and saving women’s lives, “says Ms Vanessa Price from UNSW’s Kirby Institute.
Dr Leanne Panisi, Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Solomon Islands says this funding presents an amazing opportunity for the Solomon Islands to move forward. “We see the burden at my end with patients, I see the suffering. I see patients with end stage cervical cancer in my clinic every week,” she said.
Dr Paulus Ripa, who leads the ECCWP Program in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea, wants to see the end of suffering for women and their families. “Close to 30,000 women have already benefited from the screening program here in Papua New Guinea, and now our neighbors across the Pacific will also have access to this life saving service,” he said.
In the past decade, UNSW’s Kirby Institute has conducted research in partnership with the PNG Institute of Medical Research, national and provincial health authorities, medical societies and most importantly, women and their communities.
This included the first field trials in the world to demonstrate clinical effectiveness, safety, acceptability, scalability and cost-effectiveness of point-of-care HPV self-collection, testing and same-day treatment for cervical cancer prevention.
This approach is now a key component of the WHO global elimination strategy.