We’re asking Kiwi employers to support New Zealand’s life-saving breast screening programme by giving eligible female staff members two paid hours off work to attend regular mammograms.

What is a mammogram?

A screening mammogram is an x-ray of the breasts to detect breast cancer before it shows any signs or symptoms. Early detection can reduce the chance of dying from breast cancer by approximately one third, as small, early cancers are easier to treat.

Who is eligible for a mammogram?

Women aged 45-69 are eligible for free two-yearly mammograms through BreastScreen Aoteaora. The Government has committed to "progressively increasing" the upper limit to 74 years, and we recommend you continue to get mammograms every two years for as long as you're in good health. 

BCFNZ recommends women consider starting mammograms at 40, and they should consider having yearly mammograms between age 40-49. Women under 45 are not eligible for free mammograms. Your staff would have to decide for themselves whether they were willing to pay around $150-$250 at a private radiology clinic.

Regular screening mammograms aren't recommended for women under 40. Breast tissue in this group is naturally denser than in older women. This means it can be difficult to detect small tumours in this age group, which can mean that they may have a false positive or false negative result.

A small group of women under 40 are recommended to have mammograms due to their family breast cancer risk. You may wish to exercise discretion in deciding whether to offer leave for mammograms for these employees. 

Why do you recommend two hours?

While getting a mammogram is a fairly quick procedure - around 20 minutes - granting employees two hours' leave allows for enough time to travel to and from the clinic, and allow for any delays at screening centres.

Why should my company support this initiative?

Happy and healthy employees are vital to the success of your business. Organisations that create a work environment where employees’ physical and mental wellbeing is supported experience higher productivity and customer satisfaction. Happier and healthy employees are also shown to regularly outperform those in business that don't promote health and wellbeing.

If your company decides to take up our call, or if you already have a policy in place allowing women to take time off to get mammograms, please let us know. We'd love to celebrate the work you're doing to help save women's lives in your organisation.