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Protesters At Parliament Call For Lowering Of Age For Free Bowel Cancer Screening
A woman living with stage four bowel cancer says the cost of her 30 rounds of chemotherapy dwarfs the expense of an early intervention.
Dozens of protesters were at Parliament on Tuesday calling for a lowering of the age of eligibility for free bowel screening tests to 45.
Jackie Robertson said it was time for the government to make a commitment to saving the lives, with the rate of bowel cancer amongst New Zealanders growing.
Associate Health David Seymour and Health Minister Simeon Brown spoke with the protesters on Parliament's lawn, many of whom said they were survivors or currently fighting cancer.
Brown reiterated his pledge to lower the age of edge of eligibility for bowel cancer screening to 45, but said logistics needed to be worked through to ensure colonoscopies and resources were in place to make the change.
Seymour spoke of the impact cancer had had on his family and extended his sympathies to the people in the crowd living with the disease.
A small but vocal group of people who appeared to be protesting the proposed recommendation by the privileges committee to temporarily suspend Te Pāti Māori MPs at times drowned out the discussion between the bowel screening group and ministers.
There were some heckles and shouts exchanged between the two groups.
Organiser Rachel Ferguson said she was sad to experience the moments of tension as many of her protesters were equally concerned about the disproportionate impact of bowel cancer on Māori and Pacific people.
RNZ has approached Health New Zealand for comment.
In March, the government announced plans to lower the age for free bowel cancer screening for all New Zealanders by "redirecting" money previously set aside to lower the age for Māori and Pacific people.
Last year, it announced the end of a pilot programme that allowed Māori and Pacific people to access bowel cancer screening starting at age 50.
Brown said the age of eligibility for free bowel screening would progressively drop from 60 to 58 at a cost of $36m over four years.
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