Progress in the way women who have had a mastectomy are provided free breast prostheses is “still half-baked” due to the lack of a dedicated fitting room at Mater Dei Hospital, cancer lobby groups have complained.
Health Minister Joe Cassar has been made aware of the flaw and said he asked the hospital CEO to take action and find an appropriate room.
While pleased the procedure has finally changed, that the government is now supplying good-quality prostheses and that these are being fitted by a breast care nurse, the support groups still feel the service leaves much to be desired and that the “non-existing fitting room is a huge problem”.
The situation is such that a consulting room, which is used by three breast care nurses, another two part-timers and a secretary, doubles as the place where the delicate exercise – whereby women, who have had their breast surgically removed, need to be fitted with a replacement – is carried out.
The room has a desk that is shared, with the nurses taking turns to use the computer, and in a corner is an examination couch, surrounded by a curtain, Action for Breast Cancer Foundation says.
This may be a major leap from the dark, dingy and dusty environment of the private residence in the side streets of Mosta where the limited service used to be provided but it is not enough.
The foundation, which has been at the forefront of the fight to ensure the provision of a proper prosthesis, had slammed the Mosta provider for enjoying a monopolistic situation that resulted in a poor service. Its complaints were heeded by the Health Ministry, which suspended the contract and issued a call for tenders, with conditions stipulated in consultation with stakeholders. It agreed those who have had a mastectomy should not be subjected to a one-size-fits-all, uncomfortable, rubber breast but should have access to the type that addressed their specific needs.
The new specs stipulated that the prosthesis fitting would be carried out in-house at the hospital by qualified breast care nurses – in its specific unit.
The foundation and the Breast Care Support Group Europa Donna Malta also believe a room for stock is imperative as these items need space and have to be stored adequately.
The Breast Care Support Group, which also expressed its “extreme disappointment” at the lack of a suitable room, deemed essential if women are to feel at ease at such a trying time, says the nurse doing the fittings has to carry the prostheses from the store and take everything back after.
“The situation is just not tenable and the room does not even have the most basic requirements. The only reason it has a full-length mirror is because we donated one,” it said, adding it was “absolutely inappropriate to attempt to provide a prosthesis fitting service in an office, where other activities are carried out”.
It feared “all the hard work that has been done so far to improve the important and sensitive service would have been pointless if a decent environment is not provided and the situation could end up being no better than it was”.
Dr Cassar, who has met representatives of Action for Breast Cancer Foundation, has acknowledged the problem, saying he understood the lobby groups’ concerns and was “working on it”.