Caerphilly Senedd Member Lindsay Whittle has called for mobile units for breast cancer screening to be extended to more areas across Wales.
The Plaid Cymru MS quizzed Health Minister Jeremy Miles on the issue at the Senedd.
He said: “I believe it's everyone's responsibility to ensure that the 80 per cent target for breast screening is achieved. To me, it was my second Petitions Committee and I was shocked at the low figures in some constituencies.
“A significant barrier appears to be the static nature of mobile units. For example, I am told that the Ynys Môn unit is constantly in Holyhead, whilst in my own constituency it's constantly in the village of Ystrad Mynach.
“Minister, will you please review the deployment strategy for these 11 mobile units to ensure they rotate through the more rural and isolated communities and towns, and the poorer communities that you just mentioned, rather than remaining in the same fixed hubs every single cycle?
“We need to increase the hinterland of those mobile units. You mentioned that it's amongst the poorest communities. If it's too far away, people can't even afford to travel there.”
The Minister said that the uptake for Caerphilly county borough was 71.2% and within the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board it was 70.5% - just above the national average.
He said that the 11 mobile units covered over more than 100 locations over a three-year cycle.