More than 300,000 people are set to benefit from new eligibility for breast cancer screening in the province.

Starting in the fall of 2024 Ontarians aged 40 and older will be eligible for self referred publicly funded mammograms.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones made the announcement Monday morning in Toronto.

“Nearly 12,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and we know early detection and increased access to care saves lives.”

As it stands there is a 100 percent five year relative survival rate for those diagnosed at stage 1, which drops to less than 30 percent for those diagnosed at stage 4.

Approximately 700,000 mammograms are performed each year by the Ontario Breast Screening Program at 241 sites across the province, including locations in Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout and Kenora.

This expansion will bring that number up by an estimated 130,000.