New Zealand First has introduced the “Health (Prostate Cancer Screening Services) Amendment Bill” proposing a four-year pilot prostate cancer screening programme to be trialled in two regions, one located in the North Island and the other in the South Island.
The bill proposes free, structured screening for men at risk, involving PSA testing, MRI scans, and targeted biopsies when necessary.
“Over 4,000 men are diagnosed each year, and more than 700 die – we can and must do better. Too many cases are detected late, when treatment options are limited and outcomes are poorer,” New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters said.
“This is about saving lives.”
The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) stated that extending the pilot programme from four years to a longer-term twenty-year period could generate more than $100 million in health system savings and provide over $500 million in lifetime health benefits.
The petitions committee has also previously advocated for the introduction of a funded, risk-based, and equitable prostate cancer testing programme in New Zealand.
For Peters, the bill serves as an evidence-based policy designed to protect Kiwi men and their families.
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand, excluding skin cancers.
Each year, more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, and over 700 die from it, making it the second leading cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer.