Advocates want the age for screening lowered to 45, like in Australia. Photo: RNZ
Delays in extending critical screening programmes to people under 60 will cost lives, Bowel Cancer New Zealand warns.
Prior to the election, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promised to lower the national screening age to 45, in alignment with Australia.
The National Bowel Screening Programme was currently offered free every two years to people aged 60 to 74.
A two-year Waikato pilot for 50 to 74-year-old Māori and Pasifika had just ended, while other programmes in Tairāwhiti and MidCentral had another year to run.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Thursday refused to commit to the government moving to lower the age for bowel screening in the current term.
Bowel Cancer NZ chief executive Peter Huskinson told Morning Report closing that "flies in the face of the Prime Minister's personal pledge to widen screening and bring down the bowel cancer death toll."
Huskinson emphasised the cost of testing paled in comparison to the cost of treating the cancer.
"Bowel cancer screening is a $30 test that prevents an $80,000 deadly cancer... The financial logic of bowel screening is absolutely bullet proof."
Huskinson said New Zealand had a third more people diagnosed with advanced cancer compared to Australia. He believed that was due to people being screened earlier in Australia.
"They [Australia] are screening people when 90 percent of cancers are yet to happen."
Huskinson was frustrated by the lack of funding for screening and believed New Zealand did have the capability to widen screening.
"The point is, that in vote health 2022, $36 million was put in over four years, which is ample to cover full screening for all Māori and Pacific.
"And it was funded at that level, and at that level it will save 44 people's lives every year."
He wanted the government to reopen the Waikato screening for people aged 50 and over this year. And to continue with screening services in the Mid Central and Tairāwhiti areas.
"We've really just dipped our toes in the water and spent a tiny fraction of what Parliament actually appropriated for this purpose.
"There is money in the budget going right through to the end of next year, after which, under normal practice, this will just roll into baseline funding," he said.
"I don't think it's a case of feeling that there's not the money to do it. There is the money, and it would be a false economy to turn back now and go in the wrong direction."
Health Minister Shane Reti said lowering the age to 45 was still "under active consideration", and likely to happen "within the next year or so", pending the results of the pilots.
Questioned on why the government did not extend funding to continue the Waikato programme or roll it out more widely, he said the pilot had come "a natural end".
"There's no findings from the pilot, it's just finished. We've got the results from the other two pilots to take into account as well. So when we're informed by that, we can decide how to reduce the bowel screening age."
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