The national bowel cancer screening programme announced by the previous government in May last year is still some years away, with funding not yet confirmed.
Planning work for the programme is still proceeding, and earlier reports suggest it could take more than four years to develop and introduce a national programme.
Ministry of Health clinical director of bowel cancer Dr Carol Atmore, in an emailed statement on the programme's progress, said the Minister of Health's bowel cancer task force and the ministry bowel cancer team were working on this and bowel cancer treatment generally.
This work included looking at the cost of the screening programme and how it might be introduced.
"Options towards progressing a national screening programme will be firmed up once funding for the programme is confirmed," she said.
The type of test to be used has yet to be settled.
It has been established that the screening programme will involve the testing of faecal occult blood, but there are two possible tests available.
These tests check for blood in samples of bowel motions.
Patients who were found to have blood in their samples would be followed up with diagnostic colonoscopy.
Another focus for the two groups is ways of increasing the capability of colonoscopy services.
There has been concern throughout the country that without increasing capacity by about a fifth, a screening programme would not work, because patients with suspected cancers would not get ready access to colonoscopy.
Dr Atmore said the bowel cancer team also had an extensive work programme covering quality standards, workforce development and monitoring for the screening programme. elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz
