Screening delays ‘putting lives at risk’

WOMEN’S lives in Waterford have been put at risk because long-awaited cancer screening services are not being delivered on time, a Labour councillor claims.

Screening Labour’s Seamus Ryan says it’s time for the BreastCheck service to be delivered there.

“Women’s lives are being put at risk because of unfulfilled promises and hold-ups in the planning and development of the services and facilities required for the roll-out of BreastCheck to Waterford,” Mr Ryan said.

“Screening is an essential and indeed life-saving service, but yet women in Waterford are denied this because of their address. The campaign to make BreastCheck available to women in Waterford must and will continue,” he said.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Ward Three Branch of the Labour Party, Mr Ryan said the National Breast Cancer Screening programme was started in 2000 and the Government had since set deadlines for the extension of the service to Waterford, which had then been ignored.

The national roll-out of this important service was promised for 2003, then 2005 and now 2007.

The BreastCheck clinical unit for the Southern region, to be located at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital Cork, will include four associated mobile units.

Counties covered include Waterford as well as Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary South Riding.

There are 72,000 women in the target population for screening in the Southern region.

“The Labour Party in Waterford has been campaigning for the extension of BreastCheck for women in the Waterford area,” he said.

“This campaign is set to continue over the next few months.”

The Department of Health says BreastCheck for the region will be delivered in 2007.