News article

10 October 2018

Hawke’s Bay residents are the latest population in New Zealand to be offered free bowel screening.

The DHB has become the seventh DHB to join the National Bowel Screening Programme (NBSP) which is being rolled out around the country.

Over the next two years around 30,000 Hawke’s Bay residents between 60 and 75 will be invited to participate in the screening programme, which is aimed at detecting bowel cancer early, when it can often be successfully treated. 

NBSP Clinical Director Dr Susan Parry commended the DHB on the huge amount of effort that has gone into preparing for bowel screening. This included building of a state-of-the-art gastroenterology unit, the $13 million Ruakopoti centre, which was opened on October 2 by Health Minister, Dr David Clark.  

“It’s always exciting to welcome a DHB on board and know another New Zealand population is going to get the benefit of bowel screening,” says Dr Parry.  

“For Hawke’s Bay those benefits will be the detection of about 30 cancers a year in the initial stages of the programme and the removal of multiple potentially cancerous polyps.These are life changing interventions for individuals and their families."

For more information about the programme, please visit www.timetoscreen.nz call 0800 924 432, or talk to your family doctor. 

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Sourced from the Ministry of Health Website.

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