The Ministry of Health is finalising its "initial investigation" into possible delays in breast-cancer diagnosis at Southern District Health Board, and expects to have a clearer picture next week, a ministry statement says.
The ministry ordered an urgent review two weeks ago after it was discovered up to 28 women screened by BreastScreen HealthCare between 2007 and 2010 might have suffered delays in their diagnosis.
Ministry chief medical officer Dr Don Mackie said: "At this stage, we cannot be sure whether the informal report reflects a systematic failure and what, if any, specific problems exist which need to be put right."
He expected to know more next week.
Because the audit which raised the alarm was carried out by a radiologist who knew the women had cancer, there was a risk hindsight skewed the result.
BreastScreen HealthCare screens about 16,000 women annually, and is at present operating with support from other DHBs because of the concerns.
