The funding was set to go towards upskilling more GPs to offer skin cancer services, including training in dermoscopy, which uses a specialised magnifier to examine spots closely, and skin excision.
Brown said over time it would also include cataract follow-up with optometrists, symptomatic bowel cancer detection, and respiratory care.
“New Zealand has among the highest rates of melanoma in the world. Skin cancer is our most common cancer, and it is one of the most treatable, but only if it is caught early.”
Brown highlighted this as a build on the $5 million the Government invested last year to enhance general primary care services.
“This initiative means more New Zealanders will be able to have suspicious spots checked and removed sooner, without waiting for a hospital appointment or paying to go private.
“It also means better use of our hospital specialists, who will be able to focus on the more complex cases that require hospital-level care, helping to bring down waiting times for those patients.”