Landmark changes improving access to life saving cervical screenings

It’s Cervical Cancer Awareness Week so it’s fitting we’ve got a Federal government announcement today ensuring all people eligible for a cervical screening test will be able to collect their own sample from July next year.

Self-collection allows women to use a simple swab, similar to a COVID swab, to take a screening sample themselves, instead of having a traditional cervical screening test completed by a clinician.

Senator for Western Sydney, Marise Payne, said the change would offer Australian women more control and choice over their cervical screenings.

“Currently, self-collection is only available to women aged 30 years or over, who have never screened, or are two or more years overdue,” Sen Payne said.

“From 1 July, Australia will be one of the first countries in the world to offer the ‘game-changing’ self-collect option through our National Cervical Screening Program.”

“By giving women the choice of how their screening is done, we are making the process easier, more comfortable and less invasive.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the move was expected to improve overall screening participation rates, especially in under-screened populations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, as well as culturally and linguistically diverse women.

“The self-collect tests will be accessed through health care providers, including GPs, ensuring these experts continue to play a critical role in supporting patients with cervical screening,” Minister Hunt said.

“Self-collected samples are as safe, effective and as accurate as clinician-collected tests,” said the Minister.

Cervical Cancer Awareness Week, from 8 to 14 November, continues the theme ‘time to catch up’; a reminder to Australian women to do the screening test they may have been putting off.

The National Cervical Screening Program promotes routine screening with cervical screening tests covered by Medicare every five years for women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 74 years.

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