“Indications of irregularities detected in the analysis reports of the state of the situation prepared by technicians from the Ministry, together with the absolute opacity and lack of transparency of the available information systems.” This is how the Ministry of Health defines how the management of the General Directorate of Public Health has been, during the Botànic years, in the breast cancer screening programs. A situation that the Generalitat Valenciana is now investigating through its Inspection services to make a “thorough evaluation.”
The counselor of the branch, Marciano Gómez, assures that the reports “evidence the abandonment of breast and colon cancer screening programs in recent years.” This was explained after meeting with members of the General Inspection of Services of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Health Inspection of the Conselleria, which was also attended, among others, by the regional Secretary of Health, Francisco Ponce, and the general director. of Public Health, Ruth Usó.
They warn, in the case of the early breast cancer detection program, of a “serious deficit” in investment in maintenance and renewal of obsolete mammograms, and assure that this implies “multiple failures in the operation of the equipment that force the paralysis of the activity of the Breast Cancer Prevention Unit (UPCM) affected in each failure”.
Likewise, Health assures that there is an “alarming deficit” of personnel, since the current structural staff has only 15 active radiologists for the 24 UPCM, which attend to around 35% of the annual mammogram readings. They denounce that during the last eight years there has been no coverage, nor has any reorganization of the program been established to cover its need and they assure that “more than 60% of the readings were carried out by regular staff on overtime.”
In May 2023, the regulations that regulated the program were repealed and all the activity that, being structural, was carried out as extraordinary activity as it had to be assumed by an insufficient workforce was included in the 2023 Module Agreement. “In short, the program was left without specific regulation on the management of its mammography reading activity and its corresponding remuneration,” alleges Health.
Their criticism also focuses on the population-based cervical cancer screening program, aimed at women between 25 and 65 years old, which the General Directorate of Public Health is currently working to progressively implement. Health notes that the Botànic announced in February 2023 that, after the summer, it would start the program to begin testing in 2024, but regrets that “the reality is that they did not take a single step to make its implementation possible on time.” .
From the PSPV, the Ombudsman of the socialist group in Les Corts, José Muñoz, has responded to the criticism, stating that behind the complaint from the Department of Health about possible irregularities in the breast, colon and colon cancer screening programs cervix is ??”the intention to privatize cancer screenings. José Muñoz has pointed out that, from the PSPV, they warn that they will be “vigilant” and will not allow “this privatization”, while expressing “full support” for the work carried out by Valencian public health professionals and valued the ” reversal work towards public health done in recent years”.
The PSPV has recalled that the Valencian Community “is the leader in Spain in screening and was the first, together with Navarra, to launch breast cancer screening. The professionals have demonstrated their great work and dedication and this type of issues attacks his professionalism.”
