"A higher proportion of Māori and Pacific people get bowel cancer before they become eligible for screening at age 60."
On July 7, the Government launched a campaign encouraging people to take part in the bowel screening programme.
The campaign has been specifically developed alongside Māori and Pacific communities, to help encourage participation where it had been lower in the past.
Since it began in 2017, the programme has detected over 1400 cancers and thousands of pre-cancerous polyps across the country.
MacDonald said Whanganui was the first DHB region to push to lower the age to 50.
"As a DHB and community and iwi provider forum, we recommended to the [health] ministry to lower the age of bowel screening, particularly for Māori and Pacific island people.
"That was noting our statistics and noting the sheer consequences of bowel cancer for many in our population."
Judith MacDonald says people present late to emergency departments and hospitals. Photo / Bevan Conley
MacDonald said she lost a dear friend in their 50s to the disease.
"We can only hope that the screening becomes more acceptable to the community.
"It's not scary, you can do it in your own home, and there is lots of support if your test comes back and you need further investigation."
A faecal immunochemical test (FIT) kit can be sent via mail.
It detects tiny traces of blood in bowel motions that may be an early sign of pre-cancerous polyps (growths) or bowel cancer.
If a test is positive, participants undertake additional screening, usually a colonoscopy.
According to another Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare, people who were diagnosed with early-stage bowel cancer had a 90 per cent chance of long-term survival if they got timely treatment.
"Making sure our whānau access bowel screening means more of our mothers, fathers, aunties and uncles enjoying a life that would otherwise have been cut tragically short," Henare said.
Chief executive of the Central Districts division of the Cancer Society, Debra Elgar, said her organisation had also lobbied for the lowering of the age bracket.
"The Cancer Society deals with people with diagnoses across the whole range, and with people who don't take advantage of the bowel screening that is available for them.
"Sadly, we may see them later on.
"Taking action now can save a lot of issues and grief. We urge people that are in the age brackets for screening to take advantage of it."
Generally, people didn't choose to access healthcare unless they had symptoms or were feeling unwell, MacDonald said.
The July 2023 rollout date for screening would be "here before we know it".
"With bowel cancer, you don't feel unwell until much later.
