THE leader of Andalucia’s regional health ministry has resigned in disgrace following a series of failures in the public screening programme for breast cancer that may have led to a string of avoidable deaths.
Rocio Hernandez was appointed by Junta president Juanma Moreno just fifteen months ago but has since faced growing calls to quit after evidence of systemic failures in the diagnosis of breast cancer came to light.
Up to 2,000 women may have been impacted after regional health officials last week admitted that flaws in communication and protocol left many patients unaware they required follow-up tests after ‘doubtful’ or ‘inconclusive’ mammogram results.
Having heard no news, some women simply assumed their screenings were negative and did not seek further tests.
Breast cancer screening in Andalucia normally involves multiple radiologists – but existing protocol meant inconclusive results, which should normally lead to further imaging or monitoring at regular intervals, were simply ignored.
READ MORE: Outrage in Andalucia as up to 2,000 women affected by errors in breast cancer screenings
The fiasco triggered a political storm, with Angela Claverol, president of the Association of Women with Breast Cancer (Amama), publicly criticising Hernandez after a meeting between the two reportedly ended in tears.
“I told her personally that she accused me of having a political agenda, which is not true. I never ask the women who call Amama what party they support. We just want this to be fixed,” Claverol said.
Earlier this week, Claverol said that the scandal was a ‘catastrophe’ and pointed to the cases of ‘several women already dead due to delays’ in the diagnosis of breast cancer.
According to Amama, at least three deaths are currently under investigation – including one woman who died last week after waiting nine months for a diagnosis.
In response, the Junta has hired 119 professionals, including 65 radiologists, to clear a backlog of cases across Andalucia, including the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Sevilla where up to 90% of the issues reportedly occurred.
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The regional health service (SAS) has vowed to review all mammogram results from the past three years and contact all women to clarify their medical status.
Patients impacted by the errors will benefit from a ‘preferential circuit’ of treatment, Junta president Moreno, of the conservative Partido Popular (PP), promised.
But Moreno sought to defend the region’s health system, saying that mistakes are unavoidable.
“I ask citizens not to discredit the Andalucian health system. It can make mistakes, but it is a system that saves lives every day,” he said.
According to Amama, a delay in diagnosis ‘can mean the difference between early, treatable cancer and advanced disease.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Spain, and accounts for over 15% of all female cancer deaths.
Last year, over 35,000 Spanish women were diagnosed with breast cancer while an estimated 6,513 died.
The saga has shone a light on failures at the heart of Andalucia’s public system, which receives over €15 billion in funding every year.
According to local radiologists quoted by El Pais, hospitals across Andalucia are failing to meet diagnostic communication deadlines for most imaging tests.
The failure is blamed on a significant shortage of radiologists.
Andalucia has just 7.2 radiologists per 100,000 residents, below the national average of 9.15.
Radiologists are calling on the Junta to improve staff allocation, improve retention incentives and increase investment in public diagnostic capacity instead of outsourcing to private firms, which is being used to cover current demand.
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