The national extension of the BreastCheck programme took a step forward yesterday when Minister for Health Mary Harney granting the appointment of a design team to draw up plans for the construction of two new clinical units in Cork and Galway.
Ms Harney said she was confident the target date of 2007 for the roll-out of the BreastCheck service to the regions would be met.
The development of the units in Cork and Galway will cost around €25 million, according to the Department of Health.
The BreastCheck clinical unit for the southern region will be based at the South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital in Cork. It will also have three associated mobile units. The service will cover counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford and south Tipperary, where there are approximately 72,000 women in the target population.
The BreastCheck clinical unit in the west will be located at University College Hospital, Galway, and will have two associated mobile units.
The service will cover counties Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim, Clare and north Tipperary, where there are an estimated 58,000 women in the target population.
A €3 million capital investment in the development of a symptomatic breast centre in Galway is to be included as part of the new initiative.
