New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation (PHO), ProCare, is delighted with the announcement from Associate
Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall that the Government will commit $53 million in Budget 2021 to support the introduction
of new cancer screening for women, including the introduction of the easier self-screen test for HPV.
ProCare CEO Bindi Norwell said “it is fantastic to see the Government commit additional funding to initiatives that
support better health outcomes for women. We have been advocating for the introduction of the self-test for HPV to
improve screening for cervical cancer as we know through our General Practice network that the traditional smear test is
something many women feel uncomfortable about, espeically Māori and Pacific whānau. The introduction of this simple test
will save lives as well as improve the experiences women have when engaging with their General Practice.”