The National Bowel Screening Programme is sending out thousands of home test kits this week for the first time since the programme was paused in response to COVID-19.
Around 3000 Faecal Immunological Test (FIT) kits, designed to detect early bowel cancers, are being sent to New Zealanders, aged 60 to 74, who are eligible for free bowel screening.
The figure will increase to pre-COVID-19 levels of typically 5000 kits per week from next week. Programme Clinical Director Dr Susan Parry says the kit mail-out represents the last stage of the phased re-start of the National Bowel Screening Programme and can’t come soon enough. “With 1200 deaths from bowel cancer per year, the restart of our newest screening programme is very welcome indeed.” “I