Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important issue on the Adjournment. There has been great difficulty rolling out BreastCheck. It was rolled out for half the country in 2000 but not for the other half of the population. No marks are given for guessing that the half of the population covered was on the east coast area, while the south and the west were left without this essential service. I have calculated that since the roll-out in 2000, a minimum of 60 women have died each year as a result of the unavailability of the service in their area. Therefore, since 2000 this amounts to a minimum of 500 women.

I was pleased to hear, as I am sure the Minister of State will confirm, that the roll-out of BreastCheck is on schedule and that it will be completed in the final quarter of 2007. I was pleased to hear too that BreastCheck is interested in providing a mobile service before then. The Minister for Health and Children has been anxious to provide this service, which is helpful. However, I understand the mobile unit will serve more as a facility for testing equipment and will only screen 40 women.

The question must be asked as to why the service was not provided long ago. No excuse can be given for the fact that so many women have died while waiting for the service. In 2003, the Galway clinic offered to provide a BreastCheck service until such a time as BreastCheck proper was up and running. That offer was refused because the Galway clinic offered a digital service while the BreastCheck service was an analogue service. However, since then BreastCheck has gone digital. Therefore, there is no reason not to allow the Galway clinic offer a temporary service in the meantime. People have died because of the lack of a service. The plan was to put BreastCheck in place in the region in 2004, but there has already been a delay of three years. The design team was approved on 5 May 2005. I suggest the delay in implementing the plan is due to the lack of funding. Money was not spent to allow the BreastCheck service to be rolled out.

My maiden speech in the Dáil was on the need for the Government to expand the BreastCheck service, but of course that has not happened. I was also responsible for the board and executive of BreastCheck being called before the Joint Committee on Health and Children to explain the delay. I also organised a march in 2003 on the issue. I cancelled a march that was due to take place at the end of last year because, having met the board of BreastCheck, I was told nothing I would do would advance the roll-out further.

There has been the offer of a mobile unit, but this would have been on offer in any case before the roll-out in any area. There is a problem with regard to the roll-out of the service. I believe many of the staff required are not in place or available. Many of the clinical staff required are in America and will not be back until the end of the year. We already have a major problem in UCHG where theatre time is not available for essential treatment. I am aware of ten cases of people waiting to have prostate implants to treat their cancer. Breast cancer surgery has also been cancelled in the hospital in the past few weeks because of the lack of theatre space. This is a real problem and I wonder how it will be addressed. I hope it will be addressed. The system is overburdened. I am also concerned that holiday time is approaching, which may mean delays in treatment for these cancer cases. However, I welcome the promise to roll out the service.

I ask the Minister to take on board the proposal that women up to the age of 70 should be screened. Currently, women from 50 to 64 years of age are screened. There is capacity in the Galway static unit, which will be completed in September, to provide the service up to that age. It is not practical to do that until the first cycle is completed in 2009. The Minister should work towards injecting necessary money into this area. Screening should start at 40 years of age because 11% of breast cancer cases occur in women aged between 40 and 49.

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