The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre's new digital mammography service has received international accreditation, evidence that its clients are receiving the highest quality screening and treatment.

The facility is the first on the Island to attain such recognition.

The charity's marketing/PR director Pauling Girling, described the achievement as "a tremendous step forward".

Although the Centre had always been been accredited as a provider of analogue screening, its mammography unit had to be re-evaluated by the Canadian Association of Radiologists once it switched over to digital.

Over 7,000 mammograms were carried out at the Centre in 2007.

Extensive documentation was submitted in late July, after which staff waited to hear whether the unit had failed or received partial or full accreditation.

It seems fitting that accreditation was finally received during the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"Our mammography unit was evaluated by board-certified physicians and medical physicists from Ottawa, Canada who are experts in their field," said Ms Girling.

The experts assessed both the qualifications of the technologists and the performance of the equipment before awarding CAR accreditation valid from September 2008 to September 2011.

"Accreditation provides independent validation that our Centre is providing the highest quality of mammography screening available in Bermuda," said Patricia Rowse, the Centre's chief technologist.

Added executive director Tara Soares: "Accreditation of our recently installed digital mammography equipment and screening services by the Canadian Association of Radiologists is recognition of the quality of the equipment and the enhanced standards provided by our team of six professional technologists who work at the Centre."

Passing this hurdle does not mean that staff at Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre will be resting on their laurels – they are already preparing for the next application which will be needed when their current accreditation expires in 2011.