Ayuso gives in: all PP-governed regions will send cancer screening data to the Ministry of Health

BarcelonaThe Community of Madrid will finally send its cancer screening data to the Ministry of Health after weeks of back-and-forth between Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the Spanish government. This afternoon, the Ministry of Health and all the autonomous communities agreed to share data on breast, colon, and cervical cancer screenings based on three indicators: the number of invitations to participate in the screening programs, the response rate to these invitations, and the number of positive cases detected during these screenings. The ministry, headed by Mónica García, requested the data from all the communities after... The breast cancer diagnosis scandal in Andalusiawhich affected at least 2,000 women.

The agreement comes after weeks of deadlock, mainly from the Ayuso government, which refused to share the data, claiming that Pedro Sánchez's government wanted to use the information "as a political weapon." However, during these weeks the Madrid Health Department also admit an "incident" in the delivery of results to some 500 people, who were notified of a false negative in colon cancer screenings.

Standardizing the criteria for submitting data will allow for a comparison of results from each region and, according to García, "to see where improvements can be made." Upon leaving the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS), the minister welcomed the change in the PP's position and described the meeting as "relatively tense." For her part, the Madrid Health Minister, Fátima Matute, also of the PP, applauded the consensus reached to establish these basic indicators for screening data and García's commitment "not to use them for political purposes."

Expand the indicators

Now we will have to wait for the regions that have not yet done so to send the Ministry the data on breast, colon, and cervical cancer screenings, a process that the Minister has urged all regions to carry out at the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System's (CISNS) Public Health Committee meeting, which will be held this Thursday. "Tomorrow, although it's not on the agenda, this issue can be addressed," García insisted. Although for the moment only these three indicators have been established for sharing screening data from all territories, the Minister of Health recalled that six months ago, the technical staff from all the regional health departments—including those governed by the People's Party (PP)—agreed to expand these indicators. "Some regions have sent us 12 indicators, others 10, and still others 5, but they all revolve around these three populations: the population that responds, the population that is detected, and the population that is treated. Very simple," the Minister of Health reiterated.

Furthermore, this Wednesday the inclusion of 10 new newborn screenings was also approved, along with extending the colorectal screening to age 74. The newborn screening program (the heel prick test) will now include screening for 21 diseases. However, it's worth noting that in Catalonia the test already looks for signs of 27 congenital diseases.