Ireland plans colonoscopy hike
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Ireland's bowel cancer screening programme will perform 6,000-12,000 extra colonoscopies per year from 2012, according to government estimates. Around 200,000 people per year will undergo initial screening; the colonoscopies will be conducted in patients whose first-line results indicate the presence of the disease. The programme is to be launched in early 2012, announced health minister Mary Harney in Parliament, during a debate on the necessary additional service capacity.