By Richard Torné
A bowel cancer screening program introduced last year by the Junta in Almería city will be extended to the rest of the province by 2017, the regional government’s provincial health minister has announced.
Minister José María Martín made the comment last week during a round table meeting of medical experts to discuss bowel cancer, which every year kills more than 210,000 people in Europe alone.
To date, more than 600 people aged between 50 and 69 have been screened in the provincial capital as part of the new cancer screening program. Of these, 30 individuals who proved positive undertook further tests.
However, although the program was introduced last September in Almería city’s Cruz de Caravaca health centre, CA News last month revealed that the Junta had no plans to extend the potentially life-saving scheme to the rest of the province – until now.
Sr Martín last week announced that the screening program, which will be extended to two other centres – Almería Centro and Virgen del Mar – in the provincial capital, will also include the rest of the province by 2017.
