Minister Barr: Belconnen’s first breast screening clinic
- Written by ACT Government
Released 02/12/2015
ACT Government Ministers will be on hand today to officially open a new breast screening clinic at the Belconnen Community Health Centre.
The opening is part of the ACT Government’s Pop-up Cabinet event in Belconnen this week.
The new state-of-the-art breast screening clinic is Belconnen’s first and offers more a more convenient location for women in Canberra’s north. Access to screening will increase by more than 10 per cent.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Australia, with one in eight women diagnosed in their lifetime.
Here in the ACT, like the rest of Australia, we participate in the national breast screening program where we actively encourage women between 50 and 74 to have a free breast screen every two years. The ACT Government is committed to achieving the national breast screening target of 70 per cent participation.
Offering more choice of screening locations for women is a positive step in achieving this goal. Adding this capability in Canberra’s north will improve access to the government’s breast screening program for women. The new screening site will increase the number of breast screenings beyond the 15,513 undertaken in the ACT last year.
The new Belconnen service builds capacity for future growth, so as the target population for screening increases, we will be ready.
Studies have shown that the screening program is vital to saving lives, with more than one third of all women diagnosed with breast cancer in the ACT being diagnosed through this government-funded screening program.
Breast screening saves lives. Make the call today on 13 20 50.
- Statement ends -
Section: Andrew Barr, MLA | Media Releases
