Breast cancer screening stalled due to lack of Brussels government

Due to the lack of a Brussels government, funds for the breast cancer screening programme have been blocked and not a single Brussels woman has been invited for a mammogram screening so far this year, according to trade magazines Medi-Sfeer and Le Spécialiste.

The organisations responsible for the screening programme warn that the political vacuum in Brussels is starting to have an impact on public health.

Bruprev, the non-profit organisation responsible for coordinating the screening campaigns in the Brussels region, was unable to send out a single invitation in the first quarter of 2025.

Brussels women between the ages of 50 and 69 should normally receive an invitation for a mammogram every two years.

“The purpose of the biennial screening is precisely to detect lesions as early as possible or at an early stage,” said Julie Soens, radiologist at the Clinique Saint-Jean in Brussels.

“It is therefore outrageous that more than three months have been lost due to political procrastination.”

Soen condemned the "political game" that she said was endangering the health of thousands of women and called on politicians to take responsibility, while also emphasising that women who “feel a lump or are worried can always go to the breast clinic with a medical prescription”.

Brussels health minister Alain Maron (Ecolo) told Bruzz he was not aware of Bruprev's situation until the press coverage.

Maron said that the programme’s funding is not up for discussion and that the necessary resources will be made available as agreed, asking Bruprev to resume the invitations.

“At this moment, the information available to us shows that the temporary suspension of the sending of invitation letters for this screening is the result of an operational decision that was made unilaterally by Bruprev, the association responsible for this,” Maron said.

“This decision could therefore not have been foreseen by the government, nor could it have been adequately dealt with. The first instalment of the subsidy is released in May, as it is every year, and the remaining amount will be released at the end of this year as planned, in accordance with the established regulations.”

Maron said a meeting had been scheduled between Bruprev and Vivalis - the regional administration for health and welfare - to discuss the conditions for the continuation of Bruprev's mission.

Photo: Jessica Defgnee/Belga