Minister welcomes digital mammography service and new mobile unit
Thursday 19 April 2007, 6:23PM
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Health Minister Pete Hodgson opened BreastScreen HealthCare's new $3.8 million digital mammography facility in Dunedin today.
He also officially welcomed the eleventh mobile breast screening van to the fleet of BreastScreen Aotearoa vans delivering services to women off-site.
The Cumberland Street facility becomes the second BreastScreen Aotearoa provider to implement full field digital mammography after Auckland/Northland. BSA has 29 Mammography Screening Units throughout New Zealand and 11 mobile screening vans.
Over 150,000 New Zealand women receive free mammograms each year.
"This Labour-led government is committed to providing quality screening to New Zealand women between the ages of 45 and 69. Locally almost 24,850 women were screened in the last 2 years - that's a 33 per cent increase on the previous 2 years.
"Investment such as this new facility is an investment in the lives of New Zealand women and their families." Pete Hodgson says.
Around 630 women die of breast cancer each year and routine breast screening reduces the chance of dying of the disease by between 20 to 35 per cent for women aged 45 to 69.
The benefits of digital technology
The screening process will not take as long so more women can be screened in a shorter time
Results can be processed faster so women can know the results faster
Images can be transferred electronically between sites for second readings and reviews
People at two different sites can view the images simultaneously
It eliminates the cost of developing films and transporting them
It means no longer having to handle developing chemicals.
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He also officially welcomed the eleventh mobile breast screening van to the fleet of BreastScreen Aotearoa vans delivering services to women off-site.
The Cumberland Street facility becomes the second BreastScreen Aotearoa provider to implement full field digital mammography after Auckland/Northland. BSA has 29 Mammography Screening Units throughout New Zealand and 11 mobile screening vans.
Over 150,000 New Zealand women receive free mammograms each year.
"This Labour-led government is committed to providing quality screening to New Zealand women between the ages of 45 and 69. Locally almost 24,850 women were screened in the last 2 years - that's a 33 per cent increase on the previous 2 years.
"Investment such as this new facility is an investment in the lives of New Zealand women and their families." Pete Hodgson says.
Around 630 women die of breast cancer each year and routine breast screening reduces the chance of dying of the disease by between 20 to 35 per cent for women aged 45 to 69.
The benefits of digital technology
The screening process will not take as long so more women can be screened in a shorter time
Results can be processed faster so women can know the results faster
Images can be transferred electronically between sites for second readings and reviews
People at two different sites can view the images simultaneously
It eliminates the cost of developing films and transporting them
It means no longer having to handle developing chemicals.
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http://www.healthywomen.org.nz/BSA/DEFAULT.aspx