Barriers to cervical screening

Your article ( NZ Herald, April 7) about Kiri Allan’s diagnosis of cervical cancer says cervical screening is free. In some locations and for some priority women, there are programmes offering free smears but the bulk of women pay a normal GP fee for a screen.

This has been a barrier for the programme as many women have other priorities for household income. Let’s hope the Labour Government now makes screening free and implements the promised HPV screening programme. This has been recommended by various expert groups but has been languishing because there has been no budget allocation for the work needed, including a new register.

Since its inception in 1990, the National Cervical Screening Programme has reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 50 per cent and deaths by about 60 per cent. Despite these achievements, there remain unacceptable inequities.

Ma¯ori women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 2.3 times more likely to die compared with European/Other women. Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Ma¯ori women aged 25 — 44 years.

Advocates for women’s health expect to see this remedied in the May Budget. Implementation of the HPV programme (with self-testing) and free screening are urgently needed to save women’s lives.

Sandra Coney, Cartwright Collective, Auckland.