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'Health policy putting Donegal lives at risk' 01.10.07

AN Independent North West MEP has hit out at the delays in bringing the much-needed BreastCheck programme to the region.
Marian Harkin MEP said it was "disgraceful" that BreastCheck would not be provided nationally before the end of 2009.
“This is a further and disgraceful discrimination against the women of the West and North West who were told in 2001, in 2003 and in July 2005 that BreastCheck was coming and now the promise of delivery in Autumn 2007 has been cynically disregarded”, she said.
“Women in the West and North West are having their lives unnecessarily placed at risk by a health policy whose one hand does not appear to know what the other hand is doing”, she added.
Ms. Harkin also said there was a "worrying difference of opinion" between the Minister of Health and the HSE over the delivery timetable for the National Radiotherapy Network.
"It is not acceptable that life-saving cancer services will be deferred beyond the dates to which she (Ms. Harney) has committed," added Ms. Harkin.
She again called on the Minister to make the West and North West a pilot area for the extension of BreastCheck to women aged 65 and over. “This is necessary as one third of all breast cancers are detected in women aged 65 years and over."
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