Health and Social Services Minister Mildred Dover advised today that several measures are being taken to respond to increased demand by Island women for breast screening mammograms.
"The response to the new provincial breast health screening program has been overwhelming," said the minister. "As a result, clinic hours have been extended. Two mammography machines will be kept operational at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital until the current backlog is cleared up, waiting periods for screening mammograms are reduced to two months or less, and there are no more backlogs for this important service."
The minister advised that the response to the P.E.I. program is quite typical of the response to any successful health promotion screening program. There are usually increased demands for the service, increased costs, and increased incidence in the disease being screened for.
"This is a problem we are happy to own because it signifies an increase in the number of Island women having regular mammograms, and finding breast cancer early can save your life."
The Prince County Hospital has increased mammography services substantially since January 1st, and renovations are currently underway to house the PCH breast screening clinics which are expected to be fully operational within the next five-to-six weeks.
The QEH clinics have been operational since January and the hospital is currently receiving about 25 calls per day for screening mammograms. 671 mammograms were performed at the QEH in March 1998, almost double the 395 procedures done in March 1997.