Eligibility for free breast screening has today been extended to women aged 70 to 74 living in Nelson Marlborough. 
 
The region is the first in the country to access the services, ahead of a nation-wide roll-out scheduled to happen from October 2025.
 
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Services Director Prevention Alana Ewe-Snow says it’s a significant milestone for the national breast screening programme.
 
“The age extension starts here in the Nelson Marlborough today. 
 
“Over the next five years women will continue to be eligible to screen in sites in this district to the age of 74.
 
“The region is covered by, BreastScreen South. This provider is best placed to meet the additional demand of the extended age bracket, on top of delivering to the existing eligible breast screening age group,” Ms Ewe-Snow says.
 
BreastScreen South’s general manager Louise McCarthy says she’s delighted that more local women, including wāhine Māori and Pacific women who are more likely to get breast cancer, aged 70 to 74 will have access to extra mammograms. 

“Our partnership with Te Piki Oranga, a local Māori health service provider and relationships with other stakeholders will help to improve access to breast screening for Māori and Pacific women”.
 
“Early detection across Nelson Marlborough will undoubtedly lead to better health outcomes – for the individual and the wider whānau and community,” Ms McCarthy says.
 
“We’re looking forward to extending our services, with the help of Pacific Radiology, and are looking to add a new location for our breast screen mobile unit at Ūkaipō, Wairau, in early 2025.” 
 
“Once the age extension within the national breast screening programme is fully implemented, women aged 70 to 74 across the motu will be eligible for an additional two to three free mammograms on average,” Ms Ewe-Snow says.
 
“Around 20 lives each year are expected to be saved and around 60,000 additional women will be eligible for screening annually.”
 
“We’re working with breast screening Lead Providers and Screening Support Service providers across the motu to build capacity in our screening workforce and investment in capital infrastructure including fixed and mobile breast screening sites and screening equipment to ensure breast screening service delivery can meet the demand in preparation for the national roll-out in October 2025,” Ms Ewe-Snow says.
 
Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in Aotearoa with 3,400 women diagnosed with the disease each year. Wāhine Māori and Pacific women are more likely to get breast cancer, and more likely to die from breast cancer.

The national breast screening target is 70%, with the current coverage of 72.4 % for non-Māori non-Pacific, 67.9 % for Pacific peoples, and 62.6 % for Māori. 
 
ENDS