Federation of Women’s Health Councils (FWHC) is calling
on Te Whatu Ora’s National Public Health Service to do the
right thing and let Asian women know they won’t be
eligible for free cervical screening as from July because
they have been dropped from the National Cervical Screening
Programme’s (NCSP) definition for priority
women.
FWHC Co-convenor Barbara Robson says,
“Historically Asian women have been included in the
definition, along with Māori and Pacific women, and other
women who are unscreened or under-screened. This means they
have been able to access free screening. It didn’t make
sense to us that Asian women had been dropped off, when at
February this year there were just as many Asian women as
Pacific women i.e. 40,000 for each cohort, who needed to be
screened to achieve equity.”
At a recent meeting
with the National Screening Unit (NSU)[1] it was confirmed the decision to
exclude Asian women from the definition was made quite some
time ago. The decision was informed by a piece of work
undertaken by a Clinical Oversight Group that considered
outcomes from a cervical cancer perspective. FWHC was
assured the decision would withstand public scrutiny. “If
that is the case”, Ms Robson says, “then Asian women
need to be told sooner rather than later.”
FWHC
contends the NSU has a duty to Asian women, to make the
decision public, along with the report of the Clinical
Oversight Group. “Asian women deserve transparency and
respect and making an announcement now will at least give
those Asian women who are due for cervical screening an
opportunity to have a free screen before July”, says Ms
Robson. “The NSU continuing to withhold this information
from Asian women is unwise. It risks a backlash and loss of
trust which is potentially counterproductive”.
Of
course this could all be avoided if the NCSP was fully
funded by the Government, something FWHC and other groups
have been requesting for years. It is the only national
screening programme not to be free to all participants. As
from July 26th the NCSP will implement HPV testing as the
first test in the screening pathway, including the option to
self-test. “This is a huge change for the programme and it
seems like the ideal opportunity to fully fund the programme
and make it more equitable. It would remove cost as a key
barrier to participation. But FWHC cannot be confident, in
this fiscally constrained environment, the Government will
be convinced to do this,” says Ms Robson. “Therefore
40,000 Asian women will swell the ranks of the other
vulnerable groups who struggle to pay for cervical
screening, whatever the test. If they have to pay, they may
delay screening or not participate at all. It seems that
women are still at the forefront of government cost-cutting
measures despite the talk of a women’s health strategy and
achieving equity.”
[1] NSU
comes under Te Whatu Ora’s National Public Health
Service
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