Doctor gets scholarship

Dr Yvonne Galiki Sapuri is the fourth female recipient of the Chevening scholarship from Papua New Guinea this year.
Sapuri will soon leave for the United Kingdom to study for a master of science (MSc) in clinical oncology at the University of Birmingham.
She currently works as a senior medical officer for the oncology unit with the West New Britain health authority.
Sapuri graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery (MBBS) from the University of Papua New Guinea and master’s in public health from the University of Queensland.
Sapuri has spent seven years in rural health and rural medicine prior to moving into the cancer field. During her years of work, she concluded that only 20 per cent of the population had access to basic health services, the majority of the rural population did not have access to those services.
She said women as young as 25 were dying of cervical cancer which was a predominately preventable cancer in many countries.
Sapuri said oral cancers were rising mostly related to the chewing of betel nuts.
Despite all the mortality and high incidence of cancers, the progress to change had been slow and Sapuri aimed to utilise the training she received in oncology to address the rising rates of cancer in the country.
Application for Chevening scholarships are now open for academic year 2020/2021.
Deadline for applications is Nov 5. For more information visit the Chevening website http://www.chevening.org.