Two months since government’s budget proposal for a national breast screening programme, the project is now stranded in its ‘initial stages’ despite the prime minister’s announcement that the project would be implemented as from January 2008.
The reason for the delay, Health Minister Louis Deguara said in a press conference on Wednesday, was the lack of human resources.
Now Deguara says there is no official timeframe on when the project is expected to start operating.
As yet only project coordinator Dr Nadine Delicata, and surgeon Gordon Caruana Dingli are the only two appointed on the project. Calls have been made for another surgeon, radiologists, histologists and medical lab technicians. Deguara said there was also some foreign interest in the project.
The breast screening programme was intended to address women aged between 50 and 59. Studies show this age bracket to be the most at risk of breast cancer. The programme would be then extended to the 60 to 69 age bracket and after that, all women over 40.
Since there is no permanent base located to start operating the project, the programme would start operating from St Luke’s Hospital for the time being, Deguara said. Mater Dei shall exclusively be kept for treatment purposes.
A representative for Action for Breast Cancer, Esther Sant, commented that their foundation will continue lobbying until breast screening programmes are fully installed in Malta.