BreastScreenNT’s Millie Bus Begins Remote Tour
Free breast screening is on its way to remote Territory communities with ‘Millie’ the BreastScreenNT mobile screening bus starting its annual trip this week.
Firstly, Millie will be at Parliament House in Darwin for screening by appointment from today until Friday, 2 May.
The bus will then start its journey, reaching regional and remote communities across the Territory from May to October.
These include Wurrumiyanga, Daly River, Katherine, Borroloola, Tennant Creek, Ti Tree, Hermannsburg, Yuendumu, Harts Range, and a final stop in Ali Curung.
Minister for Health Steve Edgington said as well as breast screening, women in remote locations would be encouraged to have a full health check as part of Women’s Health Week organised to coincide with Millie’s visits.
“We promised Territorians that 2025 would be a year of action so I encourage women to take action and have breast screening as well as a full health check to have certainty for any health concerns,” said Mr Edgington.
Women who live great distances away from clinics, and travel to receive a free mammogram, will also be able to have their cervical screen and consult local clinic staff about other health issues.
In 2024, Millie visited 12 remote communities, screened 1102 women and travelled over 16,000km including travelling on barges to coastal locations inaccessible by road.
Millie visits a network of regional centres in the NT over a two-year cycle.
BreastScreenNT detected breast cancer in 58 women in the NT in 2024.
BreastScreenNT provides free mammograms (breast x-rays) for the early detection of breast cancer in women aged 40 to 74 years of age.
Regular screening is the most effective way to detect breast cancer and improve survival rates for women in this age group.
Detection of breast cancer when it is small and confined to the breast provides the best chance of effective treatment. The benefits of early detection also include a greater range of treatment options and improved quality of life after treatment.
The survival rate for early breast cancer is over 95%, with the majority of breast cancers diagnosed by BreastScreenNT falling into this category.
BreastScreenNT works with remote primary healthcare centres to ensure all eligible women are aware and encouraged to have their breast screen when Millie is in their community, sometimes arranging transport so people are able to visit from further away.
There are permanent screening facilities in Darwin and Palmerston and two screening blocks each year in Alice Springs from around April to May and August to September.
https://nt.gov.au/