Breast cancer detection and treatment to be strengthened in five major hospitals

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

The Health and Mass Media Ministry has announced plans to provide five state-of-the-art mammography machines worth a total of Rs. 765 million to major hospitals across the country to strengthen breast cancer detection and treatment services.   

The initiative is being implemented under a programme launched on the advice and guidance of Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa to enhance healthcare infrastructure and improve the efficiency of treatment services provided to the public.   

The new mammography machines, which are used for the early detection of breast cancer and other abnormalities in breast tissue as well as post-treatment follow-up care, will be installed at the National Hospital Colombo, National Hospital Karapitiya, National Hospital Kandy, Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura and the 

Apeksha Hospital.   

Each machine is valued at Rs. 153 million, bringing the total investment to Rs. 765 million. Funding for the project has been provided through the Health Systems Enhancement Project (HSEP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).   

In addition, the Ministry has taken steps to provide two refurbished mammography machines to the District General Hospitals in Trincomalee and Nuwara Eliya to address urgent service requirements.   

At present, 16 mammography machines are in operation across the island. 

With the addition of the five new units and the two refurbished machines, the total number of mammography machines available in the state health sector will increase to 23.   

The Ministry said that government hospitals currently face lengthy waiting lists for mammography examinations, with patients often waiting several weeks or even months for appointments. Health authorities expect the introduction of the new machines to significantly reduce waiting times and improve access to timely breast cancer screening and follow-up services.   

According to the Ministry, the expansion of mammography services will help deliver more efficient and higher-quality healthcare while supporting the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer among women.