This article is from page 3 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
aE 0 AN CnC emt OmNet-lmoaion when BreastCheck reaches Clare there will continue to be a huge gap in the systematic screening of wom- en for breast cancer.
In a week when the failure of the national breast screening service to reach Clare some seven years after it was first introduced by the Gov- ernment was described as a “time bomb” by politicians in the mid-west, Dr Michael Harty indicated that pub- lic breast cancer screening outside
the 50 to 65 age group is a thing of the past unless there is a change of policy and practice.
Since early March, the breast clinic at the Mid Western Regional Hospi- tal Limerick is only providing symp- tomatic mammography, with routine screening mammography now falling under the auspices of BreastCheck.
However BreastCheck, which is trying to ensure that all women aged between 50 and 65 have a mam- mogram, are still unsure when the service will reach Clare. It could be as late as February 2010 with the 27-
month programme now in Mayo.
Chairman of the Clare branch of the Irish College of General Practition- ers (ICGP) Dr Harty said if a patient now asks for routine mammogram, even when concerned due to family history, she can only be referred to a private clinic.
Under new HSE policy that offers mammogram’s only to women show- ing signs of breast cancer, women who wish to have a systematic exam must pay for a private exam – even those with medical cards.
For the women of Clare that is a
trip to the Bon Secours Hospital in Galway or the Galway Clinic, as Barrington’s Hospital Limerick can no longer carry out the procedure. ‘The private hospitals are reluctant to take the referrals and carry out mammograms in isolation because they are terrified if they will get caught out or miss something,’ said Dr Harty. “The private hospitals do not have the follow up services that are available in the breast clinic.” The Kilmihil GP pointed out that even when BreastCheck finally reaches Clare there would be no form
of systematic screening for women outside that narrow age bracket.
“It is a Serious issue as BreastCheck is dangled as the answer, yet it is not available in the county and when it is, itis just for a certain age group.”
Mayor of Clare Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that “mam- mograms should be available to all Keynetss ae
‘This element of preventative med- icine has been totally eradicated by this extraordinary decision by the HSE and as a result women’s lives are being put at risk.”