A bright pink bus fitted with digital breast cancer screening equipment has commenced a road trip which will bring state-of-the-art technology to women living in rural and regional Victoria.
Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull said, breast cancer is the most common cancer in Victorian women, with one in nine women developing breast cancer by age 85.
“In 2009, 3,264 Victorian women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 698 women died from the disease and it is a statistic that we cannot accept.
“Fortunately, thanks to improvements in treatment and early detection, five-year survival rates have increased from 74 per cent in 1990 to 89 per cent in 2005, but we must keep this statistical graph heading in the right direction,” said Mr Bull.
The bus scheduled to arrive in East Gippsland in November will service local and surrounding communities commencing on the following dates:
Omeo – Monday 7 November; Mallacoota – Monday 14 November; and Orbost – Tuesday 22 November.
“This initiative represents the largest investment in breast screening services since the establishment of the program in 1991,” said Health Minister, David Davis.
“The Baillieu Government is committed to reducing the burden of breast cancer on Victorians in partnership with the Commonwealth; jointly providing approximately $35 million of recurrent funding to support the delivery of the BreastScreen program every year.
BreastScreen Victoria screens more than 210,000 women every year. Women over 40 can access screening for free, with women aged 50 - 69 invited for screening every two years.
“The mobile screening service will provide about 7,000 Breast Screen appointments every year for women across rural and regional Victoria and allows those women in remoter communities to get screened where otherwise they may not have had the time or inclination to drive long distances to regional hospitals and medical centres.
“A BreastScreen appointment every two years is the best way to find breast cancer early and I encourage all women aged 50 - 69 to phone BreastScreen Victoria on 13 20 50 as appointments will be necessary,” said Mr Davis.
