Bowel cancer survivor delivers screening age petition to MPS
A Taranaki bowel cancer survivor has delivered a petition to Parliament calling on the screening age to be dropped in the hopes more lives can be saved.
Peter Marra presented the petition, which calls for the bowel screening programme age to be reduced to 45, to Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and Labour MP Greg O’connor yesterday.
The digital petition gained more than 2800 online signatures.
Currently, the National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP), which was launched Taranaki in August last year, sends out kits to people aged 60-74.
And the Ministry of Health will reduce the NBSP screening age from 60 years to 50 years for Māori and Pasifika in 2023.
But Marra wants the age dropped to 45 and for screening to be available to everyone, given the country has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world.
More than 3000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in New Zealand and more than 1200 will die from the disease.
He wants the Government to support more endoscopists, registrars and nurse specialist endoscopists being recruited and employed to build the capacity in the health sector to screen more patients to detect bowel cancer early.
‘‘Early bowel cancer detection has been proven internationally to save lives.’’
Ahead of yesterday’s petition presentation, Kerekere said she was happy to accept the petition.
‘‘We’re very committed to supporting community-led action. And then taking that petition I’m able to speak to it when it comes up in the health select committee.’’
Cancer is increasing as New Zealand’s population gets older, she said.
‘‘It’s estimated by 2040, it will be up to 40%. But it’ll move up to 60% eventually. It’s phenomenal. And so, of course, bowel cancer is about a fifth of the cancers that we have. So it is significant.
‘‘I’m really committed to screening programmes, prevention work. That’s where we need to invest.’’
The Government is lowering the age to 50 for Māori and Pasifika next year.
‘‘I would suggest going in lower than that. Because I mean Māori and Pasifika, our health, it’s horrendous.’’