Quebec’s health minister, Rejean Hebert, announced Friday the government is going to fast-track a project promoting the early detection of colon cancer.

“Everyone over 50-years-old will be invited to get the FIT test,” said Minister Hebert. “The first step of the screening program.”

The total project, for now, is estimated at $7 million and should be fully operational come June.

The FIT test is a small device used to collect feces, then sealed and mailed to a lab for testing.

Minister Hebert said this will significantly reduce the wait times for colonoscopies.

The project will be launched at the MUHC and other local health agencies.

“The test will be available for all citizens of Quebec over the next year,” said Hebert. “The analysis will be centralized in Sherbrooke.”

Colocrectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the province, according to the Ministry’s website.

For more information on the project, click here.

Photo: La Presse