More women urged to screen for breast cancer

By PETER ROWE

The Queensland Government has launched its BreastScreen Queensland Strategic Plan for the next seven years with Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisations a key component aimed at improving screening rates to reduce the burden of breast cancer.

And the strategy will explore ways to expand mobile unit visits to more communities and extend trading hours by offering more out-of-hours or weekend appointments.

BreastScreen Queensland has screened more than 1.1 million Queensland women, performed more than 6.1 million screens and diagnosed more than 31,000 breast cancers since its inception in 1991.

Currently operating in more than 260 locations, BreastScreen Queensland performs on average almost 700 screens daily and diagnoses 29 breast cancers each week.

The program is planning for significant growth as the number of women eligible to participate in screening is expected to increase from more than 1.3 million in 2024 to more than 1.6 million in 2032.

The State Government this week unveiled a new $1 million mobile screening van in Townsville which will give regional and remote communities easier access to screening services.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the new van is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, ensuring that women in the most remote locations have the same high-quality screening services as those in the cities.

“We want to ensure all eligible Queensland women are empowered to participate in having a free breast screen every two years, and that’s why we’re investing in more ways to expand our services,” Minister Nicholls said.

“The new $1 million mobile screening van will significantly increase our reach into more regional and remote areas.

“We are also scaling up projects like Sistas Shawl, which provide modesty shawls to help First Nations women feel safe and comfortable during their screening experience.

“While only 45.9 per cent of First Nations women currently have breast screens every two years, this program has received pleasing feedback for helping make First Nations women feel more relaxed and empowered during a breast screen.”