Moree Rotary have joined forces with the Moree Plains Shire Council and local pharmacies to provide bowelscan kits to locals aged 40 years and older. 

The $15 kits will be available in every local pharmacy this month.

Rotary president Steven Harris said the club has been promoting the annual initiative for many years. “I know around our local area, the tests have made a difference,” he said.

Through their program, Rotary said they have helped extend the lives of 610 bowel cancer sufferers and informed over 2500 patients with polyps in the Northern NSW district. 

Although free kits are available every few years for Australians aged 50-74; with many sufferers in their 40s, Steven believed the government was missing a key age group. 

“The free kits only target a certain area, we want to open it up to right across the board,” he said.

He admitted locals may be reticent to talk about or test for bowel cancer.

“Speaking from experience, it's not a very nice topic and it’s an uncomfortable topic and people tend to bypass that sort of thing,” he said. 

However, Steven believed embarrassment shouldn’t interfere with someone’s health.

“We try to make it acceptable to all, and talking about it is one way of doing it,” he said.

The kits are easy to use and can be conducted at home.  Participants and their doctor will be notified of the results.