The Christie administration has fulfilled its campaign promise to purchase two mammography machines for the Princess Margaret Hospital’s (PMH) Oncology Unit, Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez announced yesterday.
Dr. Gomez made the announcement while addressing a ceremony at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel to mark the relaunch of the Breast Cancer Programme.
“In our Charter for Governance, we committed to purchasing two mammography machines within the first 100 days in office and we have done so and the first machine is due to arrive here in The Bahamas on September 21,” he said.
The purchase of these two machines, Dr. Gomez said, will assist in ensuring the early detection of breast cancer, treatment of the disease and longevity of a patient’s life.
Breast cancer statistics for Bahamian women are startling with the disease being the leading cause of death among women in The Bahamas.
In 2010, a study done by Cancer Specialist Dr. Judith Hurley of the University of Miami Hospital found that there were higher incidents of breast cancer among Bahamian women relative to other cancers.
The study also revealed that The Bahamas has the highest incidents of inherited breast cancer in the world and it showed that nearly 50 per cent of Bahamian women diagnosed with breast cancer were under the age of 50 at the time of their diagnosis – considerably younger than women in the rest of world.
The Ministry of Health along with public and private-sector organisations as well as the international cancer organisation Susan G. Komen For the Cure have partnered to work on a breast cancer programme.
“The execution of this programme will require collaboration with all of the local cancer organisations, public and private oncologists, public and private-sector hospitals and other associations, groups and individuals,” said Dr. Gomez.
The health minister noted that over the next five years the programme will focus on a number of issues including establishing a minimum age for breast cancer screening, recommending breast cancer screening guidelines by January 2013, reviewing current drafts of Medical and Nursing Acts in relation to the breast cancer initiative and reviewing educational resources from the Susan G. Komen For the Cure with the possibility of adapting them for use in The Bahamas
