The National Bowel Screening Programme is rolling out across the Bay of Plenty region from May, aiming to save lives through the early detection of bowel cancer.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world and bowel cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer death across the country.

Each year more than 3000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and more than 1200 people die from it. But if found early, it can often be treated successfully.

In Bay of Plenty, there are more than 50,000 men and women aged 60-74 who will be eligible for the free programme.

A test kit will be sent in the mail every two years to those eligible. Kits arrive close to a recipient's birthday, with the roll-out staged so test kits are sent to people with an even-numbered birthday during the programme's first year and to those with an odd-numbered birthday in the second year.

The programme is expected to be a lifesaver in the BOP. Latest figures show that more than 60 bowel cancers were diagnosed in just one year in people in the region, who were within the age range of the National Bowel Screening Programme.

Bay of Plenty clinical lead for the National Bowel Screening Programme, Dr Alex Lampen-Smith, says the programme is aimed at raising awareness and getting people talking about bowel cancer.

"We should be encouraging each other to do the test. While the likelihood of having bowel cancer is slim, finding it at an early stage means it can often be successfully treated, and we can prevent further deaths,” says Alex.

As well as detecting bowel cancer, the follow-up investigation for a positive test, usually a colonoscopy, will also remove growths in the bowel (polyps), which can become cancerous over time.

Bay of Plenty is the final District Health Board to go live with the programme and thus completes the national roll-out of the programme, which started July 2017.

Tauranga and Whakatāne Hospital endoscopy teams have been hard at work ensuring there is capacity for the upcoming increased demand for colonoscopy procedures and for treating bowel cancer.

The units expect to perform an additional 750 colonoscopies a year due to the screening programme. From those, they expect to find around 40-50 cancers and remove 500-600 polyps.

The National Bowel Screening Programme is for those who have no symptoms of bowel cancer.

If you have a change in your normal bowel habit that continues for several weeks, or blood in your bowel motion (poo), or are concerned about your bowel health, see your GP right away.

For more information, visit the Time to Screen website, call the National Bowel Screening Programme on 0800 924 432, or talk to your doctor.