Hon Dr Shane Reti
Minister of Health

Free breast screening has been extended for 70 to 74-year-old women living in the Nelson Marlborough district, ahead of a national roll-out late next year, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand with about 3,400 women diagnosed with the disease each year,” says Dr Reti.

“The aim of breast screening is to find breast cancers early – before there are any noticeable symptoms.

“Women who participate in the BreastScreen Aotearoa programme are 34 per cent less likely to die from breast cancer.

“That’s why earlier this year I announced that the Government would extend breast cancer screening to women aged 70-74 – a commitment reinforced through Budget 2024, which delivered $31.2 million for this initiative.

“It’s a real pleasure to be in Nelson, on the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness month, to celebrate a significant milestone in the extension of our free breast screening programme – the start of the roll out here in the Nelson Marlborough district.”

Over the next five years, women will continue to be eligible, while living in Nelson Marlborough, for screening at sites in district until they turn 75, before a roll out across the country from October 2025.

“Extending breast screening to an approximately 60,000 additional eligible women per year takes an immense amount of planning, including investment in workforce and physical infrastructure,” says Dr Reti.

“I thank everyone involved for their efforts and look forward to seeing this programme rolled out nationwide. The extension will potentially save 22 lives per year. We will also be looking to improve the outcomes for women like the more than 60 New Zealanders who succumbed in this age group in 2019.

“The extension of breast screening to 70 to 74-year-olds is only one initiative the Government has introduced to provide New Zealanders with better cancer care.

“As a Government, we’ve already made a number of other advancements such as:

• Introducing a target for faster cancer treatment
• Increasing access to PET-CT scanning, which is particularly helpful for diagnosis of prostate cancer
• Expanding access to life-extending cancer medicines through our transformative investment in Pharmac
• Building a new cancer radiotherapy machine at Whangārei Hospital, so 520 Northlanders a year will no longer have to travel to Auckland for treatment
• Boosting the National Travel Assistance scheme by $18 million per year for those that need to travel for treatment.

“The Government is committed to improving outcomes for the thousands of Kiwis and their families affected by cancer every year.”

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