In the Brcko area, the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is rising each year, with 30 to 40 new cases annually. Experts explained that the focus must be on prevention and organized screening. However, the turnout for screenings is not satisfactory, as women delay going to exams, and the authorities have not ensured timely provision of preventive health services. A mobile mammography unit was acquired last year but was placed in the Department of Public Affairs’ garage.
Four years ago, Sadeta Helac from Brcko discovered she had breast cancer. She is a prime example of how early detection can successfully treat this illness.
“I went to Brcansko srce for a mobile mammogram by pure chance in 2020, and they discovered I had breast cancer. Thank God, I’m still on a six-month check-up schedule, and I hope it stays this good,” she says.
Breast cancer cannot be prevented, but experts claim that steps can be taken in terms of prevention.
“The only adequate and suitable method of prevention, or rather early detection of breast cancer, is organized screening. Nowhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is there such organized screening – there’s a lack of personnel and appropriate equipment,” says Begzudin Ahmetovic, a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics.
Late last year, the Public Health Sub-department in Brcko acquired a mobile mammography unit with the aim of traveling to communities across the District to examine patients, with a particular focus on women in rural areas. However, even after a year, this mobile mammogram unit remains non-operational.
The Department of Health did not agree to appear on camera nor allowed for the mobile mammogram to be filmed, which is currently stored in the Department of Public Affairs’ garage. When we asked why the device was still not operational, they replied: “The procedure to obtain a license for the mammogram from the Agency is currently underway, with additional supplement required. For more details, you may contact the State Regulatory Agency for Radiation Safety and Nuclear Safety in Sarajevo.”
Completing this procedure as soon as possible would be vital for patients.
“Women would really decide immediately in such a way because it avoids additional steps, booking with a family doctor, getting a referral, and then making an appointment… With good organization, I think it’s really something beneficial,” says Ramiza Music, president of the Brcansko srce Association.
Instead of becoming a tool for prevention, the mobile mammogram in Brcko remains a symbol of waiting. Women are left hoping that the “procedure” will be completed soon before the mammogram itself requires servicing, Federalna writes.
Photo: Federalna
