There is “huge anger” in Clare as news emerged that the mobile BreastCheck unit in the county is to be pulled from October 30. Local activists say that word of the unit’s departure only filtered out through women receiving appointment letters for Galway.
June Dillon, Aontú’s Clare Representative, says she was contacted in recent days by several very concerned women who were alerted to the move when they received letters from BreastCheck to arrange a mammogram at locations in Galway, Limerick or Nenagh.
She says there is huge anger in the county and that she “spent the weekend taking calls from very worried women”.
And the Friends of Ennis Hospital campaign group said that five counties with smaller populations retain mobile screening locations—including Waterford, which has two – while eleven counties smaller in geographical area retain screening locations including Carlow.
Demanding answers from Breastcheck and the Department of Health, they said that the mobile unit that had been in Clare was being sent to Castlebar but that Mayo already has a mobile service.
A petition launched at the weekend, calling on BreastCheck and the Department of Health to retain the mobile screening unit in Co Clare, has already been signed by more than 4,700 people.
“I’ve had about 5 mammograms at this facility, and also have a disability with the added problem of not driving. At the moment I can manage a bus journey to Ennis and not have to rely on a lift. It’s shameful that it’s been taken away from Co Clare,” one woman wrote on the petition site.
Ms Dillion said: “The fact that the BreastCheck mobile screening unit is being removed from Clare without any warning to the women of Clare is shocking, and very disappointing for those who might struggle to travel to the alternative locations in Limerick, Galway or Nenagh”.
“Every woman, regardless of where she lives, deserves timely and accessible breast screening. In Co. Clare, one of Ireland’s most beautiful rural regions, the stakes are high: we have the fifth-lowest breast cancer survival rate in the country,” she added.
Earlier this year, Ms Dillon called for more investment in Clare’s cancer services when it was found that Co. Clare has the fifth-lowest breast cancer survival rate nationwide, following a parliamentary question submitted by Aontú.
“The early detection of this disease through screening programs like BreastCheck is vital, greatly increasing survival rates and reducing treatment complexities. Now the removal of the mobile screening unit threatens this crucial service. No woman should be forced to travel long distances just to receive potentially life saving breast cancer screenings,” she said.
“The reality for Clare people is we have to travel for essential services! The journey to Galway, Nenagh or Limerick doesn’t just cost time, it involves expense, time off work and alternative caring arrangements if you are a parent or carer. These are burdens that the women of Clare do not need but will have contend with to access a vital healthcare service, especially those from rural and underserved areas,” she said.
“Perhaps the decision makers don’t see the heartbreak of a family faced with a breast cancer diagnosis or the relief of catching cancer early when treatment is more effective. The personal, communal and societal benefits of retaining the BreastCheck mobile unit cant be overstated,” she added.
