BreastCheck goes nationwide
The BreastCheck cancer screening service is to be rolled out nationwide allowing an extra 130,000 women to be tested, it was confirmed tonight.
Health Minister Micheál Martin announced a budget of €20m to enable the scheme to be expanded across the country.
The Government had been heavily criticised for not expanding the project to the south and west earlier amid claims by campaigners that women’s lives were needlessly being put at risk.
But Mr Martin said the national roll-out of the scheme would ensure all women in the 50 to 64 age-group throughout the country will have access to breast screening and follow-up treatment where required.
“Early detection and effective treatment will lead to improved outcomes for breast cancer patients,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said.
“Under the national expansion of BreastCheck, breast screening and treatment which is currently available in the Eastern region, will become available in the Southern and Western regions.”
Mr Martin has approved the establishment of a Design Team to progress the implementation of the BreastCheck programme in Cork and Galway.
The Design Team will work up detailed plans for the construction of both BreastCheck clinical units.
The BreastCheck clinical unit in the Southern area will be located at South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital, with three associated mobile units.
There are approximately 72,000 women in the target population for screening in the Southern region.
The BreastCheck clinical unit in the Western area will be at University College Hospital, Galway, with two associated mobile units.
There are approximately 58,000 women in the target population for invitation to screening in the Western region.
Screening commenced for women in Wexford in March this year and the department expects screening to commence in Kilkenny and Carlow in 2005.
This extension of screening is part of the Eastern region programme.
The aim of the breast screening programme is to identify and treat breast disease at an early stage in order to reduce mortality.
Labour Party health spokeswoman Liz McManus criticised the move for coming too late to meet Government targets.
“We are very determined to keep the minister under pressure and it is obvious that through his response he is under pressure and that we have got up a head of steam,” she said.
“The delays have been inexcusable. The promise was that by mid-2005 every woman in Ireland who was eligible would get access to screening, there is no way that he is going to reach that target.”
