Capital funding of €20 million has been earmarked for the BreastCheck programme, the Minister for Health said yesterday.
Mr Martin said the €20 million was part of the Capital Investment Programme 2004-08 to advance the national introduction of the programme.
This would ensure that all women aged 50-64 throughout the State would have access to breast-screening and follow-up treatment where required, he said.
Under the national expansion, screening and treatment available in the eastern region would become available in the southern and western regions.
The Minister has also approved the establishment of a design team to advance the implementation of BreastCheck in Cork and Galway.
He said the team would develop detailed plans for the construction of both BreastCheck clinical units.
The unit in the southern area would be at South Infirmary-Victoria Hospital, with three mobile units. There were up to 72,000 women in the target population for screening in the region.
The BreastCheck unit in the western area would be at University College Hospital, Galway, with two mobile units. There were up to 58,000 women in the target population for invitation.
Screening began for women in Wexford this March, and it was expected to start in Kilkenny and Carlow in 2005, the Minister said.
Mr Martin's announcement came a day after the Labour Party began its campaign to extend the breast-screening programme to the south and west.
Yesterday Ms Liz McManus TD, the Labour Party spokeswoman on health, said the announcement was welcome.
"I am pleased the Minister has responded to pressure from the Labour Party and others to provide resources for the roll-out of BreastCheck to the south and west," she said.
"There is, however, no commitment to a timescale on when women in these regions will be able to avail of breast screening. This despite a commitment last year that the service would be nationwide by the middle of 2005."
The Fine Gael spokeswoman on health, Ms Olivia Mitchell TD, said the news would be more laudable if it were the first time an extension of BreastCheck had been announced. It had been announced 18 months ago and nothing happened.
"Too often announcements about capital funding aren't matched by an agreed and planned timetable for revenue funding which would allow the service to be commissioned," she said.