Simeon Brown: Health Minister on the bowel cancer screening age of eligibility being lowered

The Health Minister says higher testing rates are key to better bowel cancer outcomes.

The Government is lowering eligibility for free screening to 58 from late this year.

It's using funding set aside from the previous Government's plan to lower screening for Māori and Pasifika - who have worse early onset death rates - to 50.

Simeon Brown says this will save more lives - but he explained they'll still pay attention to those communities. 

"We're also going to be doing a lot of work with Health NZ to focus on increasing the rates of testing amongst those Māori and Pasifika communities." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Everyone can get free bowel cancer screening two years earlier.
The age has been progressively loud from sixty down to
fifty eight. But the money is coming from free screening
that's been set aside exclusively for Marty and Pacifica. They
can be screened for free from the age of fifty.
Simon Brown is the Health minister. Minister, good evening, Good evening.

(00:21):
So you've said you're going to save one hundred and
seventy eight extra lives over twenty five years because of
this change. Is that right?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
That is correct? By lowering the age for all New
Zealanders down to the age of fifty eight, that will
make a bigger difference and save more lives than just
lowering it to fifty for Marty and Pacifica communities. And
this is the evidence provided by the Ministry of Health.
We've relied on that and we're making this decision to save.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
More lives fair enough, So how many Marty and Pacifica
lives that we're going to be saved won't be Have
you figured that out?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well? The evidence was that if we lowered it to
fifty for only Marty and Pacifica communities, we would be
three hundred nine additional deaths prevented over twenty five years.
This changing means that we'll save five hundred and sixty
six lives over twenty five years. And this is about
following the evidence and ensuring that we have a policy

(01:15):
which is based on ensuring that healthcare is based on need.
That's part of our government's policies and that's what we're
doing in this area.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Is there a Malori and Pacific people more predisposed to
bowel cancer.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
No, The advice is that bow cancer risk is similar
across all population groups at the same age, So that
that's the evidence that we've represented by the Ministry of Health.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
So why was this program in place for Maori and PACIFICA.
I mean, they're obviously behind when it comes to stats
on death from vow cancer.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Well, I think the key thing, one of the key
things here is actually it's not just about the age,
but it's also about making sure we're encouraging more testing
in those population groups. So part of what we're doing today, Yes,
we're lowering it to fifty eight for all New Zealanders
with an intention to go further as cholonoscopy testing allows for.
But we're also going to be doing a lot of
work with Health New Zealand to focus on increasing the

(02:12):
rates of testing amongst those Marian PACIFICA communities. So we
are going to focus resource into increasing the testing amongst
those communities. So it's about taking a balanced approach. Yes,
lowering the age for everyone, but actually focusing on getting
the testing rates up so that they're the same as
European communities for PACIFICA and America communities. And it's also

(02:32):
going to make a big difference.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
What about the age generally for everybody that you promised
during the election campaign, we get to forty five, we're
still at fifty eight. When's that going to happen.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well, we said would match Australia. That's what we're going
to do. Key, right, they've just reduced it to forty
five from fifty. The key restraint is the is access
to colonoscopies in our health system and so as we
increase the capacity in our hospitals for colonoscopy, that will
allow us to be able to lower the age progressively.

(03:03):
While we've committed to doing that at the stage, this
is what we can achieve. As we increase that capacity,
we will go further.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Do you not have a date for.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
We don't have it. We don't have a date at
this stage, but ultimately Health New Zealand, you know, one
of the key things is making sure they can increase
the number of colonoscopies across the country that can be
done and as that, as that happens, we'll look to
lower this age as quickly as we can.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
Thanks to your time, minister, really appreciate it. Simmy and
Brown the Health Minister.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
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