Bowel Cancer Screening Program to be suspended

The troubled National Bowel Cancer Screening Program, which delivered half a million faulty faecal occult blood test kits to homes across Australia, will most likely be suspended for at least two months. The Federal Health department had initially said that new, non-faulty tests would be issued in “weeks”. Chair of the Cancer Council’s Bowel Cancer Screening Committee Alison Peipers told Gastroenterology Update that she was not sure how long the testing program will be suspended for. “No-one really knows when [the tests] will be ready, they’re peddling hard to get them quickly but no-one can tell for sure,” she said. Ms Peipers said that when the program is restarted the first priority will be to reissue kits to the people who received faulty ones. However, she noted that the Cancer Council, along with a number of other groups, has launched a campaign to bring the country into line with National health and Medical Research Council recommendations that every Australian over the age of 50 be offered biennial bowel cancer screening. The ‘Get Behind Bowel Screening’ campaign is attempting to lobby the government to introduce funding for such a program in next year’s budget, and Ms Peipers said that she is “hopeful” that the government will respond to the campaign. “The government has spoken encouragingly about expanding the program with time. [We’re aiming for] a long term budget commitment and… implementation plan,” she said. She noted that it was particularly important for clinicians to make their voices heard on the issue at www.getbehindbowelscreening.com.au . “A lot of health professionals tell us that they are seeing people with late stage cancer that could have been prevented,” she said. The Federal Health department was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline....