Mobile BreastCheck services set to return to Westmeath

The mobile BreastCheck service is scheduled to return to Mullingar in the third quarter of 2026.

Mobile screening units last operated in Athlone (on the grounds of St Vincent’s Hospital) and Mullingar (at St Mary’s Hospital) in 2024, while the latest round of screening in Longford concluded in early August of this year.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, says more needs to be done to help prevent breast cancer going undetected in the Midlands.

Following engagements with the HSE, Minister Burke has been assured that Athlone will again be covered in the first quarter of 2026, while the Mullingar mobile unit returns later in 2026.

Minister Burke said return of local services is welcome, but insisted there remains a need for more consistent screening access for women across the Midlands.

“This update is very welcome, and I know it will come as a relief to many women in Longford and Westmeath who have been anxious about the availability of local breast screening,” he said.

“These mobile units are an essential part of the national BreastCheck programme and allow women to access this life-saving service close to home. The fact that we are seeing them return to our towns is positive and something I am glad to have secured through my ongoing representations.”

“When it comes to cancer, early detection saves lives. That means screening must be local, frequent and accessible. I will continue to press the HSE and the Department to expand services in the Midlands, because women in our region should not be disadvantaged compared to those in larger cities.”

BreastCheck is Ireland’s free national breast screening programme, offering mammograms every two years to women aged 50-69 who have no symptoms.

The service can be contacted by freephone on 1800 45 45 55 for further information, or online at www2.hse.ie/conditions/breast-screening/