THE NATIONAL breast cancer screening programme, BreastCheck, has become the first such screening programme worldwide to offer a fully digital mammography service.
The development, costing €10 million, means women will be screened faster.
In also means once mammograms are taken, they can be viewed immediately and there is no longer a requirement for the images to go through a processing stage before they can be vetted.
The digital service was officially unveiled in Dublin yesterday by Minister for Health Mary Harney. She said the digital system resulted in improved diagnostic accuracy, with improved clinical image, quality and reliability.
"Primarily because of the improved image quality there will also be improved productivity and efficiency within the organisation, as there is no longer a need for processing of X-ray films," she said.
The decision to transfer to full digital mammography was taken by the National Breast Screening Board following a successful pilot programme that demonstrated significant improvements in diagnostic accuracy, particularly for women with denser breast tissue.
Tony O'Brien, chief executive officer of the National Cancer Screening Service, said digital imaging also offered BreastCheck more flexibility with regard to where it could site its mobile breast screening units around the State.
He said he hoped the board of the National Cancer Screening Service would be able to make a decision in May on an appropriate date for the roll-out of a national cervical cancer screening programme.
"We hope within the next few weeks to finalise the contract for smear-takers," he said.
This will be offered to GPs and doctors working in family planning centres and community health clinics.
Tenders have also been invited from accredited laboratories in the Republic and overseas to analyse and report on these smears. This procurement process has almost been completed.
"We have been provided with sufficient resources to enable roll- out to happen this year," he added.
Whether payments on offer in the smear-taking contract are acceptable to family doctors remains to be seen. If the contract does not find favour with them, it could delay roll-out of the screening programme, which has been provided on a pilot basis in the midwest since 2000.