There are grave deficiencies in the State's breast prosthesis services, according to breast cancer survivors.
Consistent levels of dissatisfaction were found by a national survey of women carried out by Action Breast Cancer, the results of which were reported at the annual meeting of the Irish Breast Care Nurses Association in Dublin yesterday.
Some 20 per cent of respondents said they were unhappy with aspects of the fitting environment, 24 per cent reported that they had to travel long distances to a fitting centre and a majority cited inadequate emotional support.
While replacement is advisable every two years, only 35 per cent of women who had replaced their prosthesis received it free of charge.
The average cost of each prosthesis bought was €125.4 and 43 per cent of woman said the cost influenced the timing of their decision buy a replacement.
Commenting on the results, Dr Pamela Gallagher, Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Nursing at Dublin City University, said: "A good quality prosthesis and prosthesis fitting service . . . is paramount for any woman going through this process and for her body image, femininity and psychosocial well-being . . .
" We must work towards providing a quality service for all of the estimated 16,000 women out there requiring and wearing a breast prosthesis on an ongoing basis".
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women in Ireland. It is estimated that there are 24,500 women living with breast cancer in Ireland with about 1,921 new cases reported every year.
For advice on any aspect of breast cancer, call the Action Breast Cancer Helpline on Freefone 1800 30 90 40.