Jenny Morrison urges Australian women to get cancer check in Women’s Health Week video

Jenny Morrison has urged Australian women to get checked for cancer as testing rates and GP visits plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Prime Minister’s wife made the plea in video for Women’s Health Week.

“Women are putting off their health checks, pap tests, mole checks, mammograms and so much more,” said Mrs Morrison, a former nurse.

WATCH THE VIDEO IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

“This week is Women’s Health Week, and it’s a chance for women across Australia to remind themselves about getting up-to-date with all of those tests and their health.

“So call the doctor. Book that appointment. Don’t let it be the year where we say ‘I’ll put that off’. Because your health is so important to you and those around you.”

Cancer diagnoses fell by 20 per cent during the height of the coronavirus lockdown in April as people stopped visiting their doctor and cancer screening services were closed, according to Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre’s Professor Grant McArthur

Medical consultations and pathology tests also plummeted by 50 per cent.

Mrs Morrison said she was thinking of family and friends in Melbourne who were “doing it particularly tough”.

“During this time we’ve all been trying to do the right thing,” she said.

“We’re wearing our masks, we’re washing our hands and maintaining our distance to keep ourselves and others healthy.