The Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) is requesting public support for a $50-million campaign to purchase a new mammogram machine as the current device nears the end of its lifespan.

The appeal, made by the society’s Executive Director Roshane Reid-Koomson on World Mammography Day Friday, is aimed at safeguarding continued access to subsidised and free breast-screening services for women across the island.

“Our current machine is approaching the end of its useful life and so we want to prepare to ensure that we can continue to offer the same high-quality service that we have been offering for almost 70 years,” she said on Friday as the JCS, in collaboration with JN Group and the National Health Fund, offered 230 free mammograms at the JCS headquarters on Lady Musgrave Road in St Andrew.

She described the campaign as a necessary step to preserve nearly seven decades of service and noted that the society had already secured some corporate support but remained a long way from its target.

“So far the Jamaica Cancer Society has received pledges from two corporate donors who have pledged $6 million. So we have another $44 million to go and I know we can do it Jamaica, so we’re calling on you Jamaicans, locally and abroad, to support the Jamaica Cancer Society as you have been doing over the last almost 70 years,” she said.

Reid-Koomson also appealed directly to women and communities to keep up the practice of regular checks, using the campaign’s theme as a rallying cry.

“You can check it, catch it, beat it,” she said, urging early detection as the best defence against the disease.

Her message comes at a crucial time, as breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican women, according to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Each year, hundreds of new cases are diagnosed, and health authorities have long stressed that early detection through mammography is one of the most effective ways to reduce mortality.

The JCS has long confronted challenges beyond just ageing machines. At a May 2023 Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange the organisation appealed for a new mobile screening unit. It pointed out that the unit could cost upwards of $100 million, a sum that has repeatedly delayed efforts to bring mammography services to remote and underserved areas.

Michael Leslie — serving as acting JCS executive director — lamented that the mobile programme was dormant because the equipment had become obsolete and the non-profit organisation lacked funds to replace it.

“We need a new unit, but it’s probably going to cost us over $100 million for the actual extra unit plus a truck,” he said.

The mobile unit that needed replacing was donated in 2000 and had not operated since October 2015. Its absence at the time caused a sharp decline in the number of women screened: In one year, the society screened fewer than 700 women — far short of its target of 1,200 to 1,500.

The mammography machine itself is central to the society’s core screening services, but restoring the mobile programme would extend reach to parishes with little or no access to mammography.

In its current form, the JCS must rely on women visiting its clinic in Kingston or regional partners with radiology services.

Securing mobile capacity is especially important, given that some rural parishes, such as Portland, St Thomas, and St Mary, have no local mammography services at all.

Founded in 1955, the Jamaica Cancer Society has been at the forefront of promoting early detection and awareness, providing thousands of screenings annually through its Kingston headquarters and mobile units. However, the organisation’s ability to maintain those services now depends heavily on replacing its ageing mammography machine before it fails.