Union warns about staffing ahead of change to breast cancer screening

Manitoba has lowered the age for breast cancer screening to 45 from 50, but the union for mammographers has warned that without more staff, the system could be overwhelmed.

On Tuesday the province announced it will begin accepting appointments for younger women as of Jan. 2, 2026.

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals president Jason Linklater applauded the announcement, but questioned how the province will be able to accommodate the increased patient load.

“Breast cancer screening saves lives, and when screening age is lower and cancer is caught, there’s certainly greater success in treatment and better outcomes, but staffing will be a big barrier,” Linklater said.

Data from the union shows the profession had a 40 per cent vacancy rate as of June 2024. Current wait times for mammograms in Manitoba were unavailable Tuesday.

In September 2024, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced the government would lower the screening age from 50 to 45 by the end of 2025, and eventually, lower it to 40.

At the time, the province said the change will mean the number of mammograms will increase from, 45,000 to roughly 80,000 a year.

Asagwara has said the province would need at least 13 technologists to support the need for the increased screenings.

CancerCare Manitoba has hired seven new mammographers to address the increased demand for screenings, the organization said in an email Tuesday evening.

Additional recruitment and training are ongoing as part of its expansion to meet demand, a CancerCare spokesperson said.

Linklater said he’s uncertain the recruitment effort will be enough.

Current job postings for mammogram technologists include one 0.5 full-time equivalent, three 0.8 full-time equivalent and one casual position.

The union estimates 40 more technologists will need to be hired when the screening age is lowered to 40.

Linklater said the province is facing a human resources challenge and without a plan to address it, medical backlogs and wait lists will grow.

A mammography technologist must first become a medical radiation technologist.

MAHCP spokesperson Tim Smith said the only training program available in Manitoba, at Red River Polytech, is oversubscribed.

“They received about 200 applications this year for only 44 seats. The province should be expanding that training capacity to create more MRTs to feed mammography,” Smith said in an email.

A provincial spokesperson deferred comment on mammographer staffing levels to CancerCare Manitoba.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca