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BreastCheck available early 2009 26.11.08

by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent

A SPOKESPERSON for the National Cancer Screening Services has suggested that the National BreastCheck programme will be rolled out in the North West within the first quarter of 2009 it emerged yesterday.
According to Noelle Duddy, spokesperson for Co-operating for Cancer Care NorthWest (CCCNW), the CEO of the National Cancer Screening Services Tony O’Brien said he is confident that the service will be in operation early next year. A delegation from CCCNW travelled to Dublin to meet with officials from the national Cancer Screening Services and according to Noelle Duddy, the meeting was “very positive.”
“Mr. O’Brien did not wish to commit to a particular location but was confident that the service would be in operation in the first quarter of 2009 in the north-west.”
The CCCNW spokesperson said it was evident that the National Cancer Screening Services did not want to compromise on quality to implement the service in the region.
“It is very encouraging that they were adamant that they would not compromise on their high standards because that will ensure that the service when it comes will be the best possible,” she said.
She also said that following the discussions yesterday the local group was confident that the National Screening Services had overcome the difficulty of securing a mammographer for the north-west and were in the process of recruiting others.
The CCCNW group said they had outlined to Mr. O’Brien that women in the north west continued to feel anxious about the lack of service in the region.
“We informed him that they are frightened rather than relieved when they hear about the success of BreastCheck in screened areas because they are not part of this success story, they are not getting access to this potentially life-saving screening service.”
Suggesting that their comments and concerns had been taken on board, the CCCNW spokesperson said that with 2009 now just a matter of weeks away, it was extremely positive that the programme could be rolled out in the north-west within a few months.
In the meantime however she urged women who had concerns or who showed any symptoms in advance of the roll-out of the service to contact their GP immediately.
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