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Costs and bowel screening programme development

A successful screening programme has many facets, including surveillance, diagnosis and treatment services.

How much will the pilot cost?

As part of Budget 2010, the Government has committed $24 million over four years for the bowel screening pilot.

What is the estimated cost of a national bowel screening programme?

The total cost of a national bowel cancer screening programme for people aged 50 to 74 years is estimated to be about $60 million a year, plus the cost of establishing an information system needed to support it.

What is involved in developing a national bowel screening programme?

Establishing an effective screening programme involves much more than conducting a simple screening test. A successful screening programme has many facets, including surveillance, diagnosis and treatment services.

Before a screening programme can start it is essential to ensure that there is:

  • an agreed pathway for the screening and diagnostic process and for treatment
  • a population based register and information system to manage invitation, recall and tracking of participants
  • additional workforce capacity and facilities to perform colonoscopy and manage subsequent care of people diagnosed with bowel cancer
  • sufficient laboratory capacity for faecal occult blood testing and histology reporting from colonoscopy biopsies.
  • nationally agreed policy and quality standards for the programme (including an evaluation framework)

What type of work is already underway?

The Ministry of Health is supporting the health sector to build the capacity and capability needed for a bowel cancer screening programme in the future. This work includes:

  • increasing colonoscopy capacity in District Health Boards (DHBs)
  • providing additional training for colonoscopists
  • developing guidelines for people with suspected bowel cancer
  • developing a New Zealand Familial Gastro-Intestinal Registry and national surveillance programme for high risk populations.

Page last updated: 19 October 2011