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Government Says Cervical Screening Will Be Free From March Next Year
Health officials said the change will remove cost barriers, with about 55% of eligible women currently paying for screenings.
- On Tuesday, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Minister for Women Nicola Grigg announced that cervical screening will be free for all women aged 25 to 69 starting March 1, 2027, benefiting an estimated 786,000 additional women.
- Cost remains a primary barrier to screening, with about 55 percent of eligible women currently paying between $35 and more than $100 for appointments, hindering efforts to eliminate cervical cancer.
- Grigg released the New Zealand Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan, which sets targets for 80 percent of women to be screened by 2030 and 90 percent of young people to receive HPV vaccines by 2035.
- Labour's Ayesha Verrall celebrated the move, calling it a "great idea" while urging officials to implement further health measures like free maternity scans and GP visits.
- Reports of register flaws and processing delays have placed the cervical screening programme under scrutiny, though officials maintain they are investigating specific cases without wider systemic connections.
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Total News Sources10
Leaning Left2Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 29%
C 43%
R 28%
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