Concerns that rural areas won't benefit from changes to bowel cancer screening

The screening age lowers to 58 for Northland, Auckland, and the South Island tomorrow - with the rest of the North Island to follow in March.

More than 120-thousand will be eligible for check-ups the first year of this change, with more expected as the Government aims to lower the screening age further, and boost capacity.

However Colorectal Surgeon Frank Frizelle says patients living rurally may still struggle to get care.

He says smaller regions don't have colonoscopy capacity.