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 Home News Public Health
$25 million for new bowel cancer screening initiative11 October 2007The HSU welcomed Federal Labor's announcement to introuce a new national cancer initative and spend $25 million, over three years, to screen all 50 year olds for bowel cancer. Bowel cancer claims more than 80 Australian lives each week - and its impact increases significantly as the population ages. Bowel cancer screening saves lives. Effective screening will also reduce avoidable hospitalisations and reduce health system costs of treating preventable cancer in the longer term. Early screening for bowel cancer has the potential to prevent as many as 2000 deaths every year. Early detection through screening also significantly reduces the pressure on our hospitals. Removing a pre-cancerous polyp costs around $1,250, while treatment at a public hospital for cancers that develop from polyps can cost more than $23,000 a patient. As a first step towards screening for all over 50 years olds in the longer term, Federal Labor will: § Immediately introduce free faecal occult blood tests for 50 year olds - around 300,000 Australians every year - in line with the expert recommendations of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), at a cost of up to $8 million per year; § Provide additional funding to the hospital sector to boost follow-up colonoscopy capacity for people who return positive results. This will be negotiated with the private hospitals sector and with State and Territory governments through the Australian Health Care Agreements, including the scope for public hospitals to purchase additional colonoscopy services from the private sector; and § Work with state and territory governments to set up a national framework for ongoing implementation of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, including a structure for workforce planning, training and support; and ensuring sufficient follow-up services and quality assurance mechanisms are in place. Action to bolster bowel cancer screening efforts forms part of Labor's $2 billion National Health Reform Plan. Federal Labor's plan is focused on intervening early, preventing serious illnesses where possible, and reducing pressure on hospitals. |
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© 2003 Health Services Union (HSU) |
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