The screening programme for colon cancer, implemented by the Ministry of Health, has begun. Some citizens, however, have reported that the consumables they were sent to use are expired.
Those who received expired goods therefore decide not to proceed with the procedure, worried of the reliability of the examination they are asked to undergo, with several individuals already contacting the Ministry of Health to express concern and disappointment.
Those between 50-70 age range have been receiving envelopes in the mail that include all the necessary supplies used for the examination.
Citizens have to place a feces sample inside the vial sent to them and deliver it to the place written in their letters. Those, however, who received their letters recently were surprised to see that the vials sent to them had an expiration date of June 2026.
Some individuals have contacted their doctors to ask whether the procedure was still safe, despite only the short amount of time having passed since the date of expiry, wanting to make sure the result of the test would still be accurate. Doctors begun discussing the issue shortly after this.
Phileleftheros questioned the Ministry of Health about the problem, who admitted that there is a possibility that expired products may reach some citizens, explaining that the delay sometimes observed in Post Office delivery could be to blame.
10,000 envelopes have been sent at once in previous months, which could not be sent simultaneously, resulting in several cases of envelopes reaching their destination only a few days after the expiration date, like the citizens who contacted Phileleftheros yesterday.
The Ministry of Health has recognised the concern of doctors and citizens and has contacted the manufacturing company who has stated that this particular bottle has a safe “life” of up to one month after the expiration date.
“Citizens who want to participate in the programme can contact the Ministry of Health to request new consumables so they do not have to worry about the result of their examination.”
The citizens who received the product on time but failed to go through with the exam “Can also request new consumerables from the Ministry of Health.”
The Ministry of Health has had an additional slip up, with hundreds of returns made of consumerables sent last April, due to recipients changing homes or having heir personal doctor’s office registered as their address in GESY.
GESY‘s implementation resulted in several doctors registering their own patients and entering their own address. This caused doctors’ addresses being incorrectly displayed as the patient’s address.
Several personal doctors, Phileleftheros was told, distributed the products to their legal recipients, though there are cases where doctors have moved buildings, leaving the product to be returned to the Ministry of Health.
Phileleftheros received information claiming around 1000 files have already been returned. The programme is reported to be suspended until mid autumn, for practicality, and due to the high temperatures that may endanger the safety of the fecal samples.