The chairman of the group appointed by the Health Funding Authority to monitor breast-screening units has spoken out in its defence.
Dr Brian Cox, of Dunedin, said it was easy to pick out the negatives in the monitoring group's report to June 2000 (issued in December), but without monitoring nothing would change.
Although it was "less than ideal" that the six units used three software platforms to collect data, there had been improvements, he said.
Problems over the Government's $22-million-a-year breast-screening programme came to light last week.
The report identified "grave concerns" about missing or inadequate data, missed coverage targets (some units had not screened 70 per cent of eligible women within the first two years of operation) and delays following up women referred for assessment.
"Sure, the problems all seem to be occurring. But the programme has been going for two years.
"It is hoped through the monitoring process that things will improve. At least it is being monitored ... if we didn't do it we wouldn't have a clue ... " Dr Cox said.
"The units are following people up, but they are using a paper record system, and it takes a while to enter it into the computer," he said.
Units were monitored against key indicators, and targets were determined by experts to achieve a reduction in breast cancer deaths.
A big issue was whether to sacrifice the 70 per cent coverage target in order to rescreen women the units had already made a commitment to.
Women between 50 and 64 have a free mammogram every two years. The second round of screening begins this year.
The units could continue aiming for the 70 per cent target, but would have set machine numbers and staff to handle increasingly pressured workloads, requiring more efficiency and innovation, Dr Cox said.
An apparent doubling of cancer diagnoses - from 318 at March 31 to 814 by the end of June - disguised the fact that the monitoring group did not have as much data when it produced its first report as it did for the June report.
It did not signify a dramatic increase in cancer in just three months.
- NZPA
Chairman defends breast watchdog
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