Prostate Education Programme Essential

New Zealand First is calling on the Government to introduce a national education programme for men about prostate cancer.

This comes after the National Health Committee rejected a proposed screening programme for men for prostate cancer saying the tests were not thorough enough and would not prolong life expectancy.

“Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand men and it is time that men were educated about the disease so they can be tested to ensure the cancer can be diagnosed as early as possible,” said health spokesperson Barbara Stewart.

“It is essential that some kind of education programme is developed to encourage men, particularly over the age of 50, to be tested for the disease.

“Over the last ten years the focus has been on women and breast cancer and the positive results can already be seen, now it is time to start looking at the problems that men are facing,” said Mrs Stewart.

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