Written answers
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Department of Health
Cancer Services Funding
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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127. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding to BreastCheck by 10%. [27237/19]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In 2019, funding of €26.1m was allocated to BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme. A 10% increase in funding for BreastCheck would amount to €2.6m.
BreastCheck is a population based re-call programme that offers women aged 50 to 64 a free mammogram every two years. The extension of the service to women between the ages of 65 and 69 commenced on an incremental basis in 2015 for the approximately 100,000 women in this age cohort and will be completed by end 2021. This will provide access to the service for 540,000 women.
BreastCheck aims to reduce deaths from breast cancer in Ireland by finding and treating the disease at the earliest possible stage, when it is generally easier to treat and greater treatment options are available. The programme operates to the highest international standards and has been accredited three times by international experts.
Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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128. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated cost of increasing funding for CervicalCheck by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27238/19]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Government has committed to fully implementing the recommendations of Dr Scally’s Scoping Inquiry. Full implementation represents a very broad programme of work incorporating improvements across the National Screening Service and wider health services, and funding to support this work was allocated in Budget 2019, together with funding to support the switch to HPV primary testing. The HSE has advised that the total allocation for CervicalCheck in 2019 was €38.35m, or an increase of just over 20% on the previous year's allocation of €31.75m. The cost of increasing this by a further 10% would therefore be €3.8m.
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