Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
266. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost to enhance cancer screening programmes by offering self-sampling for HPV screening through CervicalCheck and widening the age for BreastCheck and for bowel cancer screen. [25169/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.
I am pleased to inform that, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government, BreastCheck are now implementing the commitment on age-extension so that all women aged between 50 to 69 years are invited for routine breast screening. BreastCheck invite this age category because international evidence shows the incidence and mortality from breast cancer in this age group means it is effective to screen women in this age range. The National Screening Service (NSS) also advises that BreastCheck delivers its services in line with international criteria for screening programmes, based on the best international evidence, which they kept under constant review.
The BowelScreen programme invite men and women aged 60 to 69, for bowel screening. The programme are aiming to offer bowel screening to all people aged 55 to 74, which is part of their commitment in Ireland’s National Cancer Strategy and in line with commitments in the Programme for Government.
It is important to be aware any further decisions about changes to our national screening programmes, such as widening the age eligibility or changes to screening tests, will be made on the advice of our National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This independent expert group considers and assesses evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria. It is important we have rigorous processes in place to ensure our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.
A dedicated evidence assessment team in HIQA support the work of the NSAC and conduct evidence reviews and evaluations to inform the decisions of the NSAC. The financial cost is but one factor that is considered in the decision-making process. Due to the complex nature of the evaluation process and the criteria against which a decision is made, it would not be possible to accurately quantify the cost of expanding a screening service until a full evidential assessment was completed.
It may be of interest to note that the NSAC held its first 'Annual Call’ in 2021, which gave the public an opportunity to suggest new screening programmes or modifications to existing ones. The Committee are currently reviewing the submissions received and I am looking forward to receiving recommendations from the NSAC once they have been considered fully. I will be guided by their advice to ensure Ireland’s population-based screening programmes continue to evolve in line with new evidence and developments.
