David Clark
Acting Health Spokesperson

6 June 2014

Government needs to talk less, do more

The Government must heed new calls by medical experts to commit to rolling out a national bowel screening programme as soon as possible, Labour’s Acting Health spokesperson David Clark says.

“All the evidence shows that screening reduces death rates.

“Labour has already promised to begin a nationwide rollout in our first term in government. Tony Ryall and National are talking about something possibly happening – or not – once the Waitemata pilot ends next year.

“They need to get the wheels turning way faster than that.

“The excuse that workforce capacity is the issue doesn’t wash. We are three years into the pilot programme. The Government knows it is not meeting its own targets on colonoscopy waiting times, yet refuses to do anything to remedy it.

“Bowel cancer kills five times more New Zealanders than are killed on our roads every year, while it is estimated screening for bowel cancer can prevent 180 deaths.

“There should be no more delaying. The Government needs to act now.”

ENDS

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