New Portage hospital to offer breast cancer screening, mammograms

The new hospital in Portage la Prairie is slated to have screening and diagnostic mammography services when it opens in spring 2027.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara made the announcement Friday.

Currently, women have to travel to other places, such as Winnipeg, for breast cancer screening.

Thousands of Manitoba women will “be able to get that care right here in Portage la Prairie, closer to home,” Asagwara said.

While construction was completed in January, the opening of the hospital — originally set for November — has been delayed until 2027. Southern Health said it needs more time to train staff and get equipment ready.

The minister said staff are being hired for breast health services and to date, the province has signed deals with five technologist graduates.

The government has been funding additional training for technologists through a program with CancerCare Manitoba, which will oversee screening services at the hospital, Asagwara said.

At least 3,000 women from the city have travelled elsewhere for screening, Asagwara said. Removing “the barrier that is distance” should lead to more check-ups, including from Manitobans living in nearby areas, they said.

The province expects roughly 3,000 people to be screened at the Portage hospital, following past trends, a government spokesperson said.

“It’s going to include a lot of people who perhaps didn’t have the means or the resource to get to Winnipeg or anywhere else for this care,” Asagwara said.

Southern Health has a mobile mammography clinic that sets up in Portage la Prairie.

“I hear regularly from women all across our province about the challenges specific to breast screening,” said Jenny Borgfjord, co-founder of Breast Screening Advocates Manitoba.

“This announcement is a meaningful step forward.”

In January, the provincial government lowered the age for breast cancer screening to 45. The age is set to be lowered to 40 by the end of the year.

Every year, 900 people are diagnosed with breast cancer, and 200 die from the disease, a 2023 CancerCare Manitoba document says.

Screening can lead to more treatment options, less invasive procedures and “significantly improved outcomes for patients,” said Dr. Michelle Nostedt, a member of Portage hospital’s breast health team.

Regular mammograms can find breast cancer two to three years before a lump can be felt.

The Manitoba government has set aside $800,000 for the capital cost of the site and $400,000 to $500,000 for the annual operating costs.

The Portage District General Hospital Foundation will provide $725,000 for the mammography suite and equipment, operating room breast equipment and training of a mammography technologist.

Tory MLA Jeff Bereza, who represents Portage la Prairie, applauded the foundation and the Pink Ladies, a snowmobiling group that has raised money for the mammography services.

The minister said health authorities continue to recruit doctors and nurses and other health professionals for the Portage hospital.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com