New Zealand Doctor Rata Aotearoa
Government changes to bowel screening eligibility will leave more Māori and Pacific people at risk of dying at a younger age from bowel cancer, New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) says.
Health Minister Simeon Brown today announced the Government is repurposing funding set aside from now scraped plans to lower bowel screen eligibility to all Māori and Pacific people over 50, to lower eligibility for all New Zealanders from 60 to 58.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the move will exacerbate health inequities for Māori and Pacific people.