Record Breastcreens Performed in Queensland

Published Sunday, 01 September, 2013 at 11:14 AM

Minister for Health
The Honourable Lawrence Springborg

Queensland had a record breaking number of breastscreens last year, after the Newman Government redirected $1 million in funds that had been defrauded by the infamous ‘Fake Tahitian Prince’.

Health Minister, Lawrence Springborg, said new figures confirmed that in 2012/13 there had been 232,991 breastscreens performed in Queensland, compared to 228,733 in the previous year.

Mr Springborg said women across Queensland were taking their own personal health very seriously and said the LNP’s decision to allocate a second consecutive increase in funding in the current financial year would hopefully result in a further record being broken at the end of 2013/14.

“Breast cancer remains the most common cancer affecting women in Queensland and is the second most common cause of cancer death in Queensland women,” Mr Springborg said.

He said breast screening had been provided at over 200 locations throughout Queensland using a network of 11 screening and assessment services, 23 satellite services and nine mobile services including the deployment of a four-wheel drive for remote communities.

"Of the 232,991 breastscreens performed, 16 per cent had been delivered through mobile services which have been of great assistance to women particularly in rural and remote communities,” he said.

Mr Springborg said the Newman government had been able to increase funding for breast screening services by redirecting $1 million in funds that had been defrauded from Queensland Health under the previous government as a part of the infamous “Fake Tahitian Prince” scandal.

“We have been able to recover money squandered under the watch of the former government, and channel it back into frontline health services where the money should have been from the start,” he said.

“The success of breastscreening programs and early detection is having a direct effect on reducing both the mastectomy and death rate in Queensland resulting from breast cancer.”

Media Fast Facts:

Number of breastscreens performed in Queensland in 2011/12 = 228,733

Number of breastscreens performed in Queensland in 2012/13 = 232,991

Number of women screened through mobile services in 2012/13 = 37,096 (16%).

[ENDS] 1 September 2013

Contact: Clare Mildren 0417 255 284