Mediation should be used to settle the legal dispute between patients given false negative readings from the Breast Check programme, according to clinic director Professor Ann O’Doherty.  Additionally, O’Doherty is calling for patients to receive medical legal, and counseling services.

The doctors who were a part of the Breast Check program expressed concern over the cost of the program and they are worried it might be closed down.  O’Doherty has received a number of letters in recent weeks – far more than she has dealt with over the three decades she has been working with the program.

In response to the letter and her concerns, O’Doherty stated, “I think we need to have some kind of forum where the legal profession, the medical profession and counseling and other services come together and afford women the opportunity to have a settlement that is commensurate with any damage and does not divert huge tax payer funds to legal costs and expert witnesses.  That really is the issue, in order for us to be cost effective we need to be screening women and reducing mortality by 20 percent. ”

She wants the program to be affordable, but she also wants to make sure it is well-funded and provide screening services – not be paying to defend itself against legal action.