There were 167 cases and 83 cervical cancer deaths in the women who received the screening, compared with 158 cases and 92 deaths in those who didn’t. That represents 25 per cent less cervical cancer and a 35 per cent lower death rate among those screened.

All of the women in the study were healthy and between 30 and 59 years old. The research was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Previous research has shown that the visual screening technique is almost as effective in catching cancer as pap smears, a more expensive technique used in the West.

“This is the final proof that with an extremely simple test, we can have a dramatic impact on cervical cancer rates,” Sanghvi said.

Still, the test isn’t perfect. It can produce many false positives, so healthcare workers giving the test must be properly trained. Also, the test cannot be used in post-menopausal women or in women who have had more than two or three children, since pre-cancerous lesions in those women develop in parts of the cervix not normally visible.