Needed: Radiologists for breast screening

The national breast screening programme announced in the budget will need more radiologists then those working at Mater Dei Hospital for it to work out.

Sandra Zrinzo, president of the Maltese Association of Radiologists, said there were only four consultant radiologists at Mater Dei Hospital, making it hard to start the screening.

"I don't know whether the government intends to employ more radiologists but at the moment we are definitely very short," she said, adding that as a woman and breast specialist she was very happy with the introduction of screening.

Dr Zrinzo believes the programme would need at least two more radiologists to cope, unless the consultants worked overtime.

Explaining that each mammogram had to be seen by two radiologists to ensure each test was double-checked, Dr Zrinzo said the introduction of the screening had to adhere to all EU standards.

She said that unless the right number of radiologists was employed, the programme could not start: "It can't be done. We can't risk that."

The government will next year be allocating €700,000 for the programme, which will focus on first screening women aged between 50 and 59. Figures from the National Statistics Office show there were 28,747 women in this age bracket as at December 31 last year.

The Action for Breast Cancer Foundation and the Breast Care Support Group welcomed the vote for the screening programme and said they were willing to give the authorities a helping hand.

"Screening can save lives and is very cost-effective in the long term," support group secretary Anne Micallef said.

However, implementing such a programme was not enough - it was imperative for women to go to have themselves screened.

"Many Maltese have the misconception that if they ignore something, it will go away. They need to be encouraged to go for screening," Ms Micallef said, adding that the group will be launching a campaign to push this cause.

Foundation co-founder Esther Sant stressed the importance that any screening programme had to meet EU standards, with proper mammograms carried out and read by experienced professionals.

Asked whether the money voted for next year was enough to kick start the programme, Saint James Hospital head Josie Muscat said this depended on the type of set-up the government would be adopting. Meanwhile, Frank Portelli, from St Philip's Hospital, said this was a "very good start".

Questions sent to the health division yesterday, asking for more information on the programme, remained unanswered.