The New Zealand government will invest up to $55.6 million in its national breast cancer screening program, including money for new IT infrastructure, as well as money to support the change to human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical cancer.

The funding will be made available in next week’s budget, and it is hoped the new systems will be up and running in the next two years. A lack of suitable IT has been cited for delays in rolling out the new test for HPV, the cause of 99 per cent of cervical cancers.