Health · Healthcare & Policy · 5 hrs ago
Staff shortages cut invitations to Dutch breast cancer screening
The Netherlands invited 6% fewer women to breast cancer screening in 2025 than in 2024.
Nearly 1.2 million women received invitations, and almost 820,000 took part.
A shortage of screening staff has limited how many women can be invited, and delays that began when screening paused during the 2020 pandemic have not been cleared.
Screening can find breast cancer earlier, when treatment may be less demanding and the chance of recovery is higher.
Fewer invitations mean fewer women are screened, so some cancers may be found later.
A recruitment campaign filled all available training places, and some hospitals offered to help take mammograms, but there is no sign of improvement yet.
Nearly 1.2 million women were invited to breast cancer screening in the Netherlands in 2025, 6 percent fewer than in 2024.
The RIVM said staff shortages, including a lack of screening technicians, led to fewer invitations.
Nearly 820,000 women took part in 2025, with participation rates similar to the previous year.
The RIVM said there is no prospect of improvement for the time being, despite recruitment efforts and offers from hospitals to help.
Fewer screenings can mean some cancers are detected later, when treatment may be more difficult and the chance of recovery lower.
- Who
- Dutch women invited to take part in the national breast cancer screening programme.
- What
- Fewer women were invited and screened because of staff shortages.
- When
- In 2025; the reports were published on 3 November 2026.
- Where
- The Netherlands.
- Why
- A shortage of screening technicians reduced the number of screening appointments available.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Breast cancer screening was temporarily halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating delays that had not been cleared.
Six percent more invitations were sent than in 2025.
Nearly 1.2 million women were invited and nearly 820,000 took part in breast cancer screening.
The RIVM monitor and reports on screening numbers were published, and Health Minister Hermans wrote to parliament about developments in screening programmes.
- Invitations in 2025
- Nearly 1.2 million women
- Participation in 2025
- Nearly 820,000 women
- Change from 2024
- 6 percent fewer invitations in 2025
- Staff shortage
- Too few screening technicians
- Screening delay
- Began when the programme paused in 2020
2 sources
What people are saying
all available training places have been filled