Tasmania has top breast screening services

Elise Archer,Liberal Member for Clark

The Hodgman majority Liberal Government is committed to building a better health system for all Tasmanians, which is why it is great to see that the caring staff at BreastScreen Tasmania are being recognised at a national level for the incredible job they carry out across the State in providing a vital early breast cancer detection service.

According to the nation’s accreditation body, Tasmanian women are receiving the highest quality life-saving breast screening services in Australia.

BreastScreen Tasmania was today presented with the top level of accreditation – Accredited with Commendation – never before achieved by any statewide service in Australia.

The national accreditation committee congratulated BreastScreen Tasmania on its outstanding performance across all national standards. Areas of particular note contributing to this success was the service’s vigorous, integrated governance and management framework, and strong client focus.

The service also won praise for its quality improvement and strong community partnerships that give women in regional, rural and outer metropolitan areas ready access to screening.

It is timely to remind Tasmanian women aged between 40 and 74 that they should be undertaking regular breast screening mammograms, and that no referral is needed to access the life-saving services through BreastScreen Tasmania.

More than 34,000 Tasmanian women attend BreastScreen Tasmania for screening every year. However, more than 50,000 women do not have their recommended breast cancer screening mammogram every two years.

All Tasmanian women aged over 40 who haven’t been screened for more than two years are encouraged to call 13 20 50 to make an appointment for the free breast screening services now.

A screening mammogram is a simple 10-minute test that can find cancer in its early stages when it can be successfully treated. Importantly, this ensures timely diagnosis of breast cancers and can save lives.

BreastScreen Tasmania has clinics in Hobart and Launceston, and two mobile clinics that visit rural and regional centres.

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