Bowel screening comes at a cost

Bowel screening will save lives, but it is likely to come at a cost to other patients, the Southern District Health Board's screening plan shows.

Chris Fleming

Released under the Official Information Act, the board's screening business case says already stretched operating theatres will be busier after the programme starts next April.

• Lack of resources worrying doctors 

While the board will get some new funding to meet direct costs, there will be nothing for extra operations.

''Additional surgical procedures will need to be accommodated and funded from within the existing budget.''

The board blanked out a four-page section called ''key risks'' which probably provides more detail on the resourcing problem.

Oncology would have more patients to handle, and it was already dealing with a ''treatment hump associated with Pharmac decisions regarding the funding of new cancer treatments''.

The ''opportunity cost'' would be felt at both local and national levels.

''DHBs may need to prioritise capital and/or operational expenditure to implement the programme in their area.''

About 51,600 people in Otago and Southland would be eligible. They would receive faecal blood kits in the post, and that test would determine whether they needed a colonoscopy.

The board has even calculated how many southern prison inmates are eligible (16).

In 2018-19, the screening programme is expected to trigger 768 colonoscopies and diagnose 58 cancers.

SDHB chief executive Chris Fleming said the board was finalising a funding package with the Ministry of Health.

The unfunded extra surgeries were a concern, but were a relatively small number per year.

The surgery issue would be discussed with the ministry.

The screening programme is being introduced gradually around the country.

The first boards to take part are Hutt Valley and Wairarapa, where it began last month, and Waitemata DHB, which was the pilot site.