9 February 2004

Debbie and Tim Short

1186 Ohauiti Road

R D 3

Tauranga

Dear Debbie and Tim

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation is happy to support your submission to the Health Select Committee at Parliament as we would also like to see breast screening available to women in New Zealand between the ages of 40 and 70 years.

We would also like to highlight some areas of concern we feel need to be addressed at the same time.

Resources need to be available to support the age extension in all areas of screening, treatment and support.

There needs to be an improvement in the recruitment of women aged 50 and over into the current free screening programme -  the electoral role needs to be available to help drive this where appropriate.

We do consider it very important for younger women outside the free screening programme to have access to mammograms if they feel it is in their best interests.

As breast cancers in younger women are more aggressive. They are therefore more likely to die from the disease,  we feel strongly that they should have the opportunity of a free screening mammogram.

Yours sincerely

Belinda Scott (Mrs) FRACS

Chairperson

NZBCF Medical Committee