WELLINGTON, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is making headway in improving cancer prevention, detection and treatment, Health Minister Simeon Brown said Thursday.
The State of Cancer in New Zealand 2025 report, released Thursday by the Cancer Control Agency, showed "real progress" in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.
"Smoking rates continue to fall across all ethnicities, screening programs are more effective and accessible, and long-term survival rates have improved over the past two decades," Brown said, citing the report.
Key initiatives include a 604-million-NZ dollar (about 350.17 million U.S. dollar) investment to fund 33 cancer medicines through Pharmac, New Zealand's medicines funding agency, the minister said.
The government is lowering the bowel screening age to 58 as a first step toward matching Australia, expanding breast screening to women aged 70 to 74, and launching the country's first cervical cancer elimination strategy, he said, adding the government is also investing in critical cancer infrastructure.
The report said that the number of people diagnosed with cancer will rise sharply, from more than 30,000 in 2025 to over 45,000 by 2044.
The updated New Zealand Cancer Action Plan 2019-2029, due next year, will help the system prepare for the increase in diagnoses, Brown said. ■
