In Costa Rica, a total of 53,792 mammogram appointments are currently on the waiting lists of the public health care system (La Caja), according to a report issued last week by the National Union of Social Security Employees (UNDECA).

The labor union requested the intervention of the Ministry of Health, the National Ombudsman and the National Institute for Women (INAMU) to investigate the company contracted to perform mammograms, since in some cases patients have to wait two years for their appointments.

UNDECA said in an official statement that the situation constitutes a serious deficiency in the control of breast cancer, and is therefore a risk to the health of the women on the waiting list.

Union representatives presented all the documentation gathered in its investigation to the above-mentioned institutions, and it further requested that the cytology company be investigated. UNDECA believes that La Caja is covering up for those responsible for the delays.

In the Southern Zone of Costa Rica, the situation is even worse according to UNDECA. There are women waiting for diagnostic or follow up tests from 2007 at the hospital in Golfito, the Neilly hospital or the Perez Zeledon medical care facility.

Thousands of women are waiting for mammograms in the hospitals of the Central Valley. With waiting times of up to two years, a proper diagnosis cannot be reached.

Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality in Costa Rica, and each year over 1,000 new cases are diagnosed, of which one third are women under the age of 50.

Source: TicoVision