FDP National Councillor Balmer criticizes breast cancer screening
Published: Wednesday, Oct 9th 2024, 05:10
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The Zurich FDP National Councillor and doctor Bettina Balmer has criticized the assumption of costs for breast cancer screening. The fact that mammograms are not paid for by health insurance companies everywhere is a blow to the women who need these examinations, said Balmer.
"In the new medical tariff system (Tardoc), significantly less is to be paid for mammograms of all things," said Balmer in an interview with the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" on Wednesday.
If health insurance companies paid less and less for these examinations, fewer and fewer doctors would offer mammograms. This has an impact on waiting times for women. "Time plays a decisive role in early detection," said the Zurich-based doctor.
In her home canton, the prevailing idea is "that regular breast palpation is enough to diagnose a disease", said the doctor. However, doctors agree that independent palpation is not enough.
Balmer referred to a recently published study according to which breast cancer screening programs are effective. In cantons without such programs, breast cancer tumors are larger at the time of diagnosis than in cantons with screening programs. This was announced by the Lucerne Cantonal Hospital and the Hirslanden Klinik St. Anna at the end of September.
12 cantons without a public program
14 cantons invite all women between the ages of 50 and 69 (50 to 74 in 9 cantons) to undergo mammography screening every two years. Screening can also take place outside of a public health program, through so-called opportunistic screening. In the twelve cantons without a public program, this is the only option.
The quality of breast cancer screening programs in Switzerland varies from canton to canton, according to another study. However, the results are in line with European standards, according to an analysis by the University Center for General Medicine and Public Health (Unisanté) in Lausanne. The study, published in August, was conducted on behalf of the Swiss Cancer Screening Association.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In Switzerland, around 6500 women are affected every year. 80 percent of them are aged 50 or older at the time of diagnosis.
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