No breast screening facilities in Gozo... Incidence of breast cancer "worrying"
While government announced it will be offering breast screening services to all women in Malta, Gozo’s main hospital has no equipment, nor human resources, to carry out such sensitive medical tests.
In a parliamentary question tabled by Labour Gozitan MP Justyne Caruana, Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono confirmed that in Malta’s sister island there is no equipment for breast screening test facilities. The Minister only said that the Gozo Hospital’s X-Ray department will be refurbished and such medical equipment would be introduced then.
Dr Caruana told this e-newspaper that the incidence of breast cancer in Gozo is worrying. “As an MP I receive numerous complaints by women who need breast screening. They have a right to do it, and do it in Gozo. The incidence of breast cancer in Gozo is on the rise because men and women are not being screened in time and anyone who might be prone to the cancer can only realise at a late stage, when it is difficult to cure,” said Justyne Caruana.
In a particular case in Gozo a woman was given an appointment for breast screening in Malta for 2008, maltastar.com is informed. The woman’s doctor had asked her to do further examinations and when she arrived in Malta’s general hospital she was given an appointment for next year. The waiting list for a mammogram in St Luke’s breast clinic is a year.
The state of health service in Gozo is abysmal. A month ago, maltastar.com reported that the only hospital in Gozo has not even adequate cardiac machinery and that a foundation set up by patients was collecting funds and doing government’s job in equipping the hospital.
Now, the latest in a series of inequity in the way Gozitans are being treated, it was revealed that a Gozitan woman who needs to undergo a breast check-up can only do so by hopping on a ferry and travel to Malta’s general hospital.
During this year’s budget speech government announced a breast screening programme to start in 2008. This was clearly a last minute proposal which caught professionals by surprise since there was no consultation meetings involved. The measure was only hastily introduced after Labour pledged to launch a national breast screening programme for women at risk in its policy document.
So much so that on Tuesday’s The Times, the head of the Oncology Department Dr Stephen Brincat said he was not told that government would be introducing the scheme and warned that Malta does not have enough human resources and equipment to carry out a national breast screening programme at present.
Contacted by maltastar.com, a professional in the field said: “Such measures cannot just happen overnight. We have to have human resources and planning should start well in advance. I cannot understand how the head of the Oncology Department was not consulted before making such a promise.”
This e-newspaper also spoke to Action For Breast Cancer Foundation. Ms Esther Sant said that the foundation was delighted with the budget measure for breast cancer. “This will not happen tomorrow but it should be planned carefully and bring foreigners to do it if there are not enough professionals in Malta,” Ms Sant said.
About Gozo’s lack of a mammogram machine, Ms Sant said that the foundation was not aware of Gozo’s situation. “We have to make our voices heard and if need be lobby for Gozo to have mammogram facilities as well,” Ms Sant said, while stressing on the importance of effective breast screening.
About Gozo’s lack of a mammogram machine, Ms Sant said that the foundation was not aware of Gozo’s situation. “We have to make our voices heard and if need be lobby for Gozo to have mammogram facilities as well,” Ms Sant said, while stressing on the importance of effective breast screening.
maltastar.com tried to speak to Dr Stephen Brincat who could not be contacted throughout the day.
2007 - Justyne Caruana
