The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien is encouraging local women to participate in the free BreastScreen Victoria program and help tackle breast cancer in the region.
Mr O’Brien said that 52.5 per cent of women in the Gippsland South electorate are having a regular breast screen every two years. While this is slightly higher than the state participation rate for women aged between 50 and 74 it is a significant reduction from previous years.
“While it’s great to see our electorate scoring above the state average, this still means close to half of all women aged between 50 and 74 in Gippsland South did not get screened in the past two years.
“The participation rate for Gippsland South in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, was at 57 per cent and I would really love to see at least those numbers if not higher in the next year.
“Early detection will put you in the best position for a positive outcome.
“The BreastScreen Victoria program is a free service that only takes ten minutes of your time and could prove life-saving.” Mr O’Brien said.
According to BreastScreen Victoria the biggest risk factor for breast cancer is being a woman over 50 years of age, with one in eight Victorian women diagnosed with the disease.
Seventy-five per cent of women diagnosed will be over the age of 50, the vast majority of whom will have no family history of the disease.
Having a breast screen is the best way of finding cancer early before any symptoms are noticed and when treatment is likely to be most successful.
Appointments at BreastScreen Victoria clinics and mobile vans can be made online at breastscreen.org.au or by calling 13 20 50.