Mammogram screenings will be made more available to women from low-income groups under a new programme by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF).

The BCF Encouragement for Active Mammograms (Beam15) programme launched on Sunday, will provide free screenings to 6,000 eligible women aged 50 and above within the next two years.

This addresses a finding in the National Health Survey 2010, that women from lower-income households are less likely to go for cancer screening, with cost often cited as a deterrent.

HPB will also expand the coverage of the mobile screening centre, the Mammobus, as well as provide 'mammoferry' services, transporting women to nearby screening centres.

Women who are eligible for this service will be notified by a letter from the HPB from April onwards.