The announcement by Health Secretary Wes Streeting that the NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme is to be restarted next year is welcome news.
Most importantly, it will come as a great relief for anyone affected by the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations.
For those who are carriers, the burden is two-fold, knowing not only that they are at raised risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers, but also that there is a 50/50 chance of their children inheriting the gene.
Whatever the result, access to the test brings incalculable benefits.
There is an end to worry for those who turn out to be negative.
Meanwhile, patients who are revealed to be carriers can consider taking preventative measures which may be life-saving.
With both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews much more likely than the general population to have a BRCA gene mutation, the community will be thankful that the NHS is continuing with the good work.
Yet the benefits extend to a great number of people from all parts of British society: registration will continue to be open to anyone who simply has at least one grandparent who is Jewish.
The vital role of Chai Cancer Care and Jnetics must be noted. The two charities have been integral to the success of the programme, which has already enabled 43,000 people to register for the test, of which 27,000 have so far been analysed.
Of these, around 550 patients have discovered that they are carriers and are therefore able to consider appropriate treatments.
The scheme’s pioneer, Professor Ranjit Manchanda, is convinced a lot of lives will have been saved already.
Now, with its resumption next year, who knows how many more patients can look forward to greatly extended lifespans because of the actions that they will be able to take on learning that they are carriers?
As Mr Streeting says, the restoration of the scheme not only helps to bring peace of mind to the Jewish community, but also is part of a “shift from sickness to prevention”, surely to the benefit of patients directly affected and the NHS as a whole.
There is every reason to believe the scheme will continue to deliver once it is resumed, and, as the large-scale results come in, it is to be hoped that the case for it to be made permanent in due course will become unarguable, on both medical and economic grounds.
Let us celebrate a successful partnership between the Jewish community and its charities, the NHS and the Government.
This is Britain at its best, and a model for the way ahead as we look to 2026.
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