A breast screening programme for women aged between 50 and 59, deemed to be most at risk of breast cancer, should be up and running shortly, the health ministry announced yesterday.
At first the programme is likely to be run from St Luke's Hospital until a permanent base is located but the details will only be confirmed once all the staff needed for the breast screening unit have been employed.
So far only the coordinator, Nadine Delicata and one of the surgeons, Gordon Caruana Dingli, have been appointed. Calls have been made for another surgeon, radiologists and histologists, the latter being specialists who analyse sample tissue. Together they will make up a team of about 10 professionals.
The plan to introduce breast screening on a national level, announced by the Prime Minister in November's budget speech, has been controversial. Given the shortage of professionals needed to set up such a unit, the head of the Radiotherapy and Oncology Department Stephen Brincat had told The Times that launching such a programme without the necessary human resources upgrade risked doing more harm than good.
On this point, however, Health Minister Louis Deguara said yesterday during a press conference that interest has already been shown in the calls, even from foreign entities who may be willing to provide professional services as contractors.
Despite being early days, to the point of not being able to give a specific date when the programme is likely to kick off, Dr Deguara emphasised that yesterday's press conference, and others to follow, were intended to provide information on the progress towards the setting up of the programme in order to avoid the matter becoming a partisan issue.
Labour MP Helena Dalli had accused the government of putting political gain before people's health in promising something it could not deliver. She had also questioned how the programme was being described as a national one when the only women targeted were those between 50 and 59.
Dr Delicata yesterday said there were plans to buy another mammogram machine and eventually extend the screening to the 60 to 64 age bracket and after that to all women over 40.
The first efforts will be focused on women in the 50-59 age bracket, which, studies show, are most at risk, and later extended to other age groups according to the classification of risk.
As soon as the programme kicks off, an awareness campaign will be launched along with a mail shot addressed to all the women eligible for the screening urging them to call in for an appointment.