A second-class bowel cancer service is discriminating Welsh patients aged 75 and older, an MP has said.
The bowel screening programme in Wales currently offers checks to people aged 55 to 74, with work underway to incrementally reduce the starting age to 50.
Public Health Wales states it is unable to opt in anyone under the age of 55 or over 74 to the programme as not to over-burden other NHS services and advises people with symptoms of cancer to contact their GP.
Yet in England and Scotland, over 75-year-olds can request a test kit every two years.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said it is Welsh Government policy to follow guidelines set by the UK National Screening Committee, which recommends routine screening for men and women between the ages of 50 and 74.
But Monmouth MP David Davies accused the minister of “blatant discrimination”.
He was alerted to the problem by a 76-year-old constituent who no longer qualifies for the bowel screening kit.
“This is an extremely short-sighted view and doesn’t make sense because once you have symptoms, treatment is much more expensive and surgery for bowel cancer is very invasive,” said Mr Davies.
“One of my close colleagues beat bowel cancer and made a full recovery. He is a strong advocate of screening because early detection saves lives.
“In England and Scotland, people are able to request testing kits once they reach the age of 75 and can do so every two years. However, the Labour-run Welsh Government is washing its hands of the older population by claiming the limited capacity of endoscopy services along with timely follow-on colonoscopy means expanding access to the screening programme beyond the recommended age group is not a priority.
“Once again it goes to show we no longer have a “national” health service in any meaningful sense of the word, but rather a series of regional health services where different rules apply. Depending on your age, it’s a postcode lottery for healthcare.”
Mr Davies said he would be asking the Health Minister to consider adopting the English and Scottish approach, which is not an automatic test for the over-75s but at least the facility to request one.