BreastScreen WA Receives $3.7 Million Funding Boost: Empowering Early Detection and Access to Healthcare
The Cook Government has announced a significant $3.7 million funding boost for BreastScreen WA, a vital initiative dedicated to early breast cancer detection and prevention. This investment will enhance the program's mobile screening services and the fit-out of a new Bunbury clinic, ensuring Western Australians have access to high-quality healthcare.
BreastScreen WA offers free screening to women aged 40 and above without breast cancer symptoms. Screening mammograms are a powerful tool, capable of detecting breast cancer before any visible or palpable changes occur. The new Bunbury clinic, set to be completed by July 2026, will replace the existing facility at the South West Health Campus, providing a modern and comprehensive service.
The program's fifth mobile screening service, launched in 2024, extends coverage to rural and remote areas and metropolitan regions lacking nearby fixed clinics. This additional funding will ensure the mobile service's sustainability, enabling the screening of 5,000 women annually. Since its inception in 1989, BreastScreen WA has administered over three million screenings across Western Australia.
With breast cancer affecting one in seven women, early detection is crucial. Women can conveniently book appointments by calling 13 20 50 or through the online platform (https://www.breastscreen.health.wa.gov.au/Breast-screening/Making-an-appointment/Book-Online).
Preventive Health Minister Sabine Winton emphasized the program's significance, stating, 'BreastScreen WA plays a vital role in early breast cancer detection. Our government's funding boost aims to ensure more Western Australian women access timely, high-quality screening services statewide. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with over 21,000 new cases annually, making regular screening essential.'
Minister Winton further encouraged women aged 50 to 74 to undergo regular breast screenings (mammograms), a low-dose X-ray procedure that detects cancer before it becomes palpable. Given the increasing risk of breast cancer with age, eligible women are advised to have mammograms every two years, as early detection can save lives.
