Hospital offers to cover cancer screening gap

A LIMERICK hospital has offered to provide a breast cancer screening service to Waterford women until BreastCheck is rolled out for the south-east hub in two years’ time.

Management at Barrington’s Private Hospital and BreastCheck’s Director Tony O’Brien met on Wednesday to discuss the hospital’s proposal to provide mammograms to women from Waterford and some other counties.

Women in the high-risk age group of 50 to 64 would be given free mammograms at Barrington’s breast screening unit until BreastCheck is rolled out in Waterford in 2007.

BreastCheck spokesman Ronan Cavanagh confirmed that the proposal from Barrington’s Hospital was discussed.

Cancer campaigner in Waterford Jane Bailey said: “It’s up to the women of Waterford and all the women’s organisations to come together and put pressure on the Government to immediately roll out BreastCheck and to ensure that the neglect of women in Waterford is brought to an end.”

Waterford is now the only south-east county where BreastCheck is not operating and the service will be delayed until a new regional clinic is developed at the South Infirmary and Victoria Hospital.