An expansion of breast cancer screening will mean 120,000 more women will be eligible every two years, Health Minister Shane Reti says.
He says the government's plan would also mean an average of two to three extra mammograms for women, once the programme is fully implemented.
Reti, joined by acting Minister for Women Louise Upston, announced the latest steps to expand the service during a visit to the Manukau Super Clinic in Auckland.
He said the government had met with officials and discussed what was needed to extend the screening programme.
"The extension could potentially save 65 lives per year, however translating our current uptake this relates to 22 lives saved - meaning we need to do more to increase the uptake," he said.
"The implementation timeframe is within the current Parliamentary term, however the coalition government has ambitions to commence as soon as possible."
Breast cancer screening is currently available to women aged 45 to 69, but National promised as early as April 2022 to expand that up to age 74.
Labour matched that promise in September, during the election campaign, as well as modernising consent laws, and making cervical screening services free between the ages of 25 to 69 years.
Reti said was vitally important to all affected women and their families to detect more breast cancer early.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
"Catching more cancers early means better treatment outcomes, and we anticipate an additional 22 lives could be saved every year," he said.
"While we want to move as swiftly as possible, we need to allow the health system to prepare for the roughly 60,000 additional women eligible each year.
"Overall, our extension means women will be eligible for an average of two to three extra mammograms once the programme is fully implemented - and means around 120,000 additional women will be eligible for screening every two years."
He said there was a lot to be done to prepare for the expansion, including upgrading existing screening services and having Health NZ plan for cancer treatment services to support the additional women likely to be diagnosed.
Public Health Service Director Nick Chamberlain said the biggest challenge was staff.
"We need about 50 clinical staff ... radiologists, or radiographers in the old language, MITs and a number of support staff as well to ensure that we have that capacity to deliver as welll as some further equipment, expansion of some facilities."
It would take about 18 months to fully train the staff and get them on board, he said.
"All of that takes some time, and in the meantime of course we're still going to continue to work on raising our rates of screening across the board, and particularly for high-need communities and high-need populations."
He said they were likely to bring the expansion in by age groups, rather than all at once.
"We think a year at a time would be best ... but that's still some planning to do there."
Reti said women who took part in screening were 34 percent less likely to die from breast cancer.
"Raising the breast cancer screening age will benefit all women including Māori and Pacific peoples who have particularly high rates."
He was asked if - with New Zealand First making similar promises in its own election manifesto - the move was a combined effort.
"This is a coming together of will from all of the coalition partners," he said.
"I believe they actually had it in their agreement with the Labour government in 2020 actually, it was a coalition promise, and it's not for me to say why that didn't deliver - but here we are, today, now, delivering."
