Lengthy delays in breast cancer screening between 2017-2021 may have harmed 10 Wellington women and led to more advanced cancer, an inquiry has found.
When Jo Badham turned 45, she became eligible for a mammogram, and she tried to get one because her grandmother died from breast cancer.
But, it took more than nine months for her to get a screening appointment.
"It was just the not knowing and knowing there’s such an easy test out there and then you get that kind of piece of mind," Badham said.
She is one of around 8000 Wellington women who waited longer than 60 days for an appointment. Of those, 59 women were diagnosed with cancer.
The review found that for 10 of those patients, earlier screenings might have meant the cancer was less advanced when diagnosed or they could have required less intensive treatment.
"We'd like to sincerely apologise to these patients, again, we realise that it's really distressing, we've caused a lot of distress to these patients and to their whānau when they didn't receive a timely mammogram,” said Jamie Duncan, Interim-Lead – Hospital and Specialist Services for Capital Coast Hutt Valley.
Ah-Leen Rayner Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Foundation NZ gave her thoughts on the issue.
"It is not good enough that these 10 women may have been harmed, the service is there to protect women so fundamentally we don't think that this is acceptable,” she said.
The inquiry found multiple problems, including a lack of resources and poor communication with some women.
"Most frustrating was that most of my phone calls went unanswered,” Badham said.
“We didn’t have a big enough workforce to deliver the number of screens that was required,” said Duncan.
The problems in Wellington prompted a national review into breast screening delays, the national report released today referred to the system as racist.
"We need to focus on improving access to breast cancer screening for Māori and Pacific women, we have really high death rates from breast cancer for Māori and Pacific women, we have lower access to screening, lower survival once we do get breast cancer," Public Health Physician Dr Nina Scott said.
There are 26 recommendations in the review, many focus on improving access for Māori and Pacific women, and a breast screening action plan has also been launched.
"It needs to be ambitious, it needs to have tangible change to reduce the risk, for example extending the screening age to 74,” said Rayner.
SHARE ME