Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a new program that provides free mammograms to all women aged between 49 and 50, every two years.
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer.
On Sunday, he met with six women that have beaten breast cancer, a woman undergoing treatment and oncologist Elena Linardou on the occasion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
During the meeting at Maximos Palace, the women stressed the enormous importance of prevention. For this reason, the Prime Minister said that the cost of mammograms will be fully covered by the health insurance system (EOPPY). The procedure will be performed in collaboration with the private sector and will involve all women who have not been diagnosed with breast cancer and have not had a preventive mammogram in the last two years.
The women also shared their personal testimonies and experiences, including 66-year-old Liolios Kalypera, who told the PM the fears she has including susceptibility to covid-19 and access/delays to treatment.
In response Mitsotakis said that: "As a society, we have made a huge effort to be in front of this disease, which constantly surprises us...We did it for one main reason: in order to never get to the point where we have to make choices regarding the care that a patient will have in Greece."
The PM also noted that the screening will be repeated every two years and the goal is to digitally create a patient medical file, so that radiological monitoring is possible.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting Greek women today, and has the highest mortality of any cancer. Read GCT's interview with Greek Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon Apostolos Mitrousias.
