Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (14:51): I seek leave to provide a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO: There has been concern on the impact COVID-19 might be having on the engagement of South Australians with health promotion and screening. Could the Minister for Health and Wellbeing please update the council on Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for her question, and I am happy to update the council on breast screening in this Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In doing so, I would like to pay tribute to the excellent work that BreastScreen SA does to screen South Australians for breast cancer.

Women in Australia have a one in seven chance of developing breast cancer before the age of 85, and it is the most common cancer affecting Australian women. Breast cancer can develop at any age, but around 75 per cent of breast cancers in this country are diagnosed in women over the age of 50. With that in mind, it's interesting to note that BreastScreen SA has experienced a sustained increase in demand for breast cancer screening since the beginning of the pandemic. Demand in the service is driven by South Australians and appears to align with a heightened awareness of health and wellbeing and the accessibility of screening for women when working from home.

BreastScreen SA offers a free mammogram every two years to women above the age of 40; however, this is particularly targeted at women aged 50 to 74 years. It's a population-based screening program adhering to the 2018 Australian government population-based screening framework. In the past 30 years, BreastScreen SA has provided more than two million breast screens to South Australians. In the financial year 2020-21, there were 89,847 mammograms conducted, a 7.7 per cent decrease from the pre-pandemic level participation rates of 57.9 to a preliminary figure of 50.2 for the two-year period ending 30 June 2021.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted screening rates due to COVID-safe measures, BreastScreen SA has worked hard to minimise the impact of the pandemic by establishing two pop-up screening clinics for regional South Australians in Port Lincoln and Victor Harbor, with a third to open in Mount Barker. BreastScreen SA has introduced after-hours screening appointments at most clinics, while introducing priority appointments and increased capacity in the service's contact centre.